The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to preserve their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to complete a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a below-par score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was spilled three times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

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

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of teammates as she set herself to bowl the final over, held her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting performance. They might well have been chasing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably less.

It needed them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt flying directly to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the latter was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 at this World Cup and boast the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are generally heading in the correct path – they are participating in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs focus.