Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their faint aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the last six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were subsequently diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the final two innings segments, with only 12 runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, held her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was significantly less.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to take a challenging chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped further on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt going right to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are overall moving in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding is a obvious issue which demands attention.