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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the last over to complete a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and preserve their narrow hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the final six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition pay.

She scored a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the last two overs, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded merely three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little aggression from ball one, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately making themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target objective would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a challenging opportunity while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and display the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically moving in the right direction – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent problem which requires improvement.