Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the final over to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and maintain their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She scored a debut international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the last two innings segments, with merely 12 more runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a game of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the required total was significantly less.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been considerably lower.

It required them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a tough catch while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity going directly to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners falling near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the second one was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves due to an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this competition and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a obvious issue which requires focus.