Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to maintain their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a poor fielding performance.

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

Even though Athapaththu could not make it count, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 additional runs needed.

However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the death.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the last over, kept her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the target was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the start, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three tries to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to hold a tough catch behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates being dismissed beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 chances at this tournament and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall heading in the correct path – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a glaring problem which demands focus.