The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and keep their narrow chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a poor fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

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

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the final two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the last over, kept hers. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the chase was significantly less.

However, the batting side lacked purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to do.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly less.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a challenging catch while keeping to remove Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties after an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and display the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring concern which requires improvement.