Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and preserve their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four match points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth successive defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding display.

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

Even though Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre powerplay and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the last two innings segments, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the win at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the last over, held her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately making themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly smaller.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to hold a difficult opportunity while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to accelerate the scoring with partners being dismissed beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 opportunities at this competition and display the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically progressing in the correct path – they are competing in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding is a obvious problem which needs focus.