Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the last over to complete a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and maintain their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the remaining six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding performance.

They provided lifelines to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the final two bowling phases, with merely 12 more runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded only three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the final over, held hers. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but in contrast the chase was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, making runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly less.

It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Joty failing to take a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.

Perera was missed again on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the lowest catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are playing in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a glaring issue which requires attention.