Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to achieve a thrilling triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Chasing a modest total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the last six balls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting win for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's first of the competition after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding effort.

They gifted lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their innings, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs required.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the final moment.

In the end, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a few of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the final over, maintained hers. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side lacked purpose from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to grab a challenging catch as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped again on 55 and 63, the last attempt flying straight to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with teammates falling near her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are typically moving in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding performance is a obvious concern which demands improvement.