The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to keep their World Cup tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to complete a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them level on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding display.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre powerplay and they were subsequently reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the final two innings segments, with only 12 additional runs needed.

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and finally forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target objective would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty being unable to take a difficult opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped further on 55 runs and 63, the latter chance flying straight to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 at this World Cup and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are generally heading in the proper way – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a glaring issue which requires attention.