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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to seal a heart-stopping win over their opponents and keep their faint aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding effort.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back in the game, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, adding 82 for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with just 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a match of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, held her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been considerably lower.

It required them three attempts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped again on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity going directly to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a glaring concern which demands improvement.