Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Chasing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling success for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight defeat since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

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

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, adding 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the final two overs, with only 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, maintained hers. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was much lower.

However, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, scoring at below 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a challenging opportunity as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners getting out around her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the latter was a little regrettable, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall heading in the right direction – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding is a glaring concern which needs attention.