Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four wickets in the final over to seal a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three losses and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them level on four match points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight defeat since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition pay.

She achieved a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the last two overs, with just 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh lacked purpose from the start, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the field, that 203-run objective would have been substantially less.

It took them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a tough chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled again on 55 runs and 63, the latter chance traveling right to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 chances at this competition and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent issue which demands focus.