The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to keep their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, 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); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the last innings segment to seal a nail-biting victory over their opponents and maintain their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the remaining six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting win for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She scored a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the final two innings segments, with just 12 more runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was much lower.

Yet, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and finally making themselves excessive to achieve.

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

It took them three efforts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a tough opportunity while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners being dismissed beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a possible 27 at this tournament and boast the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the right direction – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but poor fielding standards is a obvious issue which requires improvement.