The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to preserve their tournament hopes breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the last over to achieve a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and preserve their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.

She registered a first international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their score, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the final two bowling phases, with merely 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and conceded merely three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the final over, held hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the target was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually making themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly lower.

It needed them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a missed run-out, although the latter was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall heading in the right direction – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding performance is a glaring concern which requires attention.