Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and preserve their slim chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the final six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive loss since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding performance.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though Athapaththu could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the remaining two overs, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed only three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to bowl the final over, maintained her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about the team's batting display. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was much lower.

However, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally forcing themselves too much to achieve.

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

It required them three tries to break the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a challenging chance as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity going straight to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and display the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are overall progressing in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious concern which needs attention.