Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four wickets in the decisive innings segment to achieve a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a modest score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, 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 Khan, Perera forced the opposition pay.

She scored a debut international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the final two innings segments, with merely 12 more runs required.

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a several of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the last over, held hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a challenging chance while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with partners getting out beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a missed run-out, while the latter was a little regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves following an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this World Cup and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a team who are overall heading in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding standards is a glaring issue which requires attention.