The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to preserve their tournament hopes breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the final innings segment to seal a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and preserve their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four match points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the game to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She achieved a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and sharing an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the final two overs, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded only three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but instead the required total was much lower.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total goal would have been considerably less.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a tough catch while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped once more on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a little regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this World Cup and boast the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall moving in the right direction – they are competing in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a glaring issue which needs attention.