The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a thrilling victory over their opponents and preserve their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, endured a fifth successive defeat since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the last two bowling phases, with only 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of team-mates as she set herself to deliver the last over, kept hers. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the target was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh lacked intent from ball one, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been substantially less.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a tough catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with teammates being dismissed beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this tournament and boast the worst catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the right direction – they are playing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a obvious concern which demands focus.