Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and keep their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a attainable score of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

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

The triumph – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding display.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the final two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be many questions about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was much lower.

Yet, the batting side lacked purpose from ball one, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to do.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the field, that 203-run target would have been substantially lower.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out around her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally heading in the correct path – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a glaring problem which needs focus.