The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's 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

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and preserve their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Chasing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the last six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses 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 confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive setback since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a poor fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a first international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing opening overs and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their score, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the final two overs, with just 12 runs required.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away only three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a few of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, held her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked aggression from ball one, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three attempts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally heading in the right direction – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding performance is a prominent concern which demands improvement.