The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to keep their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the final over to achieve a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their slim aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Pursuing a attainable score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting win for the Lankan team.

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

The Bangladeshi team, however, endured a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She registered a debut international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the final two bowling phases, with just 12 more runs needed.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded only three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the death.

In the end, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, kept hers. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and finally making themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been considerably lower.

It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Joty failing to grab a challenging chance behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was missed once more on 55 runs and 63, the latter chance going directly to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a prominent concern which demands attention.