Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the final innings segment to seal a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

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

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the remaining two overs, with only 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the last over, held hers. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was much lower.

However, the batting side showed little intent from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been considerably less.

It needed them three efforts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a tough catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed beside her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a little unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves due to an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 opportunities at this competition and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the correct path – they are playing in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a prominent concern which needs focus.