Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the final over to complete a thrilling triumph over their opponents and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the final six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth successive setback since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding display.

They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing opening overs and they were later reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the last two innings segments, with just 12 runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed only three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the very end.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total goal would have been significantly less.

It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a difficult catch while keeping to send back Perera on her score of 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63, the last attempt traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with teammates getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an injury to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this competition and boast the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a team who are overall heading in the proper way – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious problem which demands attention.