The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a disappointing fielding display.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She registered a maiden international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged 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 all out.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre initial phase and they were subsequently reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the last two overs, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, kept her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be many inquiries about the team's batting performance. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the required total was much lower.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been substantially lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to take a challenging opportunity while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled again on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling directly to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with partners falling around her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this competition and boast the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally progressing in the correct path – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a prominent problem which requires attention.