The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and maintain their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them level on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

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

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

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

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their score, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with merely 12 more runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting effort. They might well have been chasing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the required total was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, making runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty being unable to hold a challenging opportunity while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt going directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this competition and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are typically moving in the correct path – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring problem which needs improvement.