Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six deliveries.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She scored a debut international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty restored their innings, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the remaining two innings segments, with only 12 runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed merely three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a match of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the final over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but rather the required total was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient purpose from ball one, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a early batting collapse, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to grab a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled again on 55 and 63, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with partners being dismissed near her.

Subsequently in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring issue which requires improvement.