Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and keep their slim chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Even though Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She registered a first international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back in the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the remaining two overs, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she prepared to bowl the final over, held her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked purpose from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a top-order collapse, and ultimately making themselves too much to achieve.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Later in the game, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a glaring problem which demands improvement.