The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the decisive over to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

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

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding display.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the last two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a early batting collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

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

It required them three attempts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a tough catch as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was missed further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 at this World Cup and have the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are overall moving in the right direction – they are participating in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding is a glaring problem which demands focus.