The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a nail-biting victory over their opponents and maintain their faint hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive defeat since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

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

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the last two bowling phases, with just 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the very end.

In the end, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the last over, kept her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the chase was much lower.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the very beginning, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves overwhelming to do.

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

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a difficult chance while keeping to remove Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with batting partners falling near her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this competition and display the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent issue which requires attention.