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

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a below-par total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine runs from the final six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not make it count, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She achieved a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the remaining two overs, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the last over, maintained her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the chase was much lower.

However, Bangladesh lacked intent from the start, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been significantly lower.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying straight to Jhilik at cover, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates falling around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a potential 27 at this competition and display the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the proper way – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a prominent concern which requires improvement.