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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to seal a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and preserve their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling success for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

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

While Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the last two overs, with merely 12 runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of teammates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh lacked aggression from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately making themselves too much to do.

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

It required them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity flying straight to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically heading in the right direction – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent concern which needs focus.