Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 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 margin

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Pursuing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a poor fielding performance.

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

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a first international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, held her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves too much to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been substantially lower.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to hold a challenging chance while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped once more on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this tournament and boast the poorest catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are overall moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious issue which demands attention.