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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to complete a thrilling triumph over their opponents and maintain their slim chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the remaining six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

While the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the match, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 runs necessary.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the last over, held her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked aggression from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately making themselves too much to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been significantly lower.

It required them three efforts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a tough opportunity behind the stumps to send back Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and 63, the latter chance flying directly to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners falling around her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 at this World Cup and display the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the right direction – they are playing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but poor fielding performance is a obvious issue which needs improvement.