The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last over to achieve a nail-biting victory over their opponents and keep their faint aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

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

Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding effort.

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

While Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She scored a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the final two innings segments, with just 12 more runs necessary.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a handful of teammates as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, held her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, scoring at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a tough opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was missed further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the last attempt flying straight to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with teammates getting out near her.

Later in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves after an injury to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the right direction – they are competing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious concern which demands attention.