The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and keep their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the last six bowls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied 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 consecutive setback since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a disappointing fielding performance.

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

While Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

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

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the last two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the final over, kept hers. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little aggression from the very beginning, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to achieve.

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

It required them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on 55 and 63, the final opportunity flying straight to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates falling near her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, while the second one was a little unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a available 27 at this tournament and have the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are overall progressing in the right direction – they are competing in only their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a obvious issue which needs improvement.