The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to seal a nail-biting win over their opponents and keep their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a attainable total of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them level on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth straight defeat since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not make it count, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, adding 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the last two overs, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the last over, held her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about the team's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked purpose from the start, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a tough catch as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners getting out beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and display the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally heading in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring issue which needs focus.