Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket 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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the last over to achieve a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a modest score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a subpar fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and building an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were later reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 runs required.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team snatched the win at the death.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the final over, held her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the target was much lower.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the start, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been substantially lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to hold a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped again on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with teammates being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this World Cup and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the proper way – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring concern which needs focus.