The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the final over to seal a nail-biting victory over their opponents and preserve their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

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

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu was unable to make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

She registered a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the remaining two overs, with only 12 runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the death.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the last over, maintained her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been chasing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the required total was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, experiencing a early batting collapse, and ultimately making themselves too much to achieve.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203-run goal would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty being unable to grab a challenging catch while keeping to send back Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this tournament and display the worst catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally heading in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a obvious issue which requires attention.