The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to keep their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping victory over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a below-par total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine more runs from the final six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, adding 82 for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the last two overs, with only 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed only three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the final over, kept hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh showed little aggression from ball one, accumulating runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their opportunities in the field, that 203-run goal would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three attempts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to grab a tough catch behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled once more on 55 runs and her score of 63, the last attempt going straight to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with partners getting out near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the latter was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties after an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 chances at this World Cup and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a team who are typically heading in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a glaring concern which needs improvement.