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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their narrow chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth straight defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding effort.

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

While Athapaththu could not make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's 3-27, fought themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were later reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the last two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a match of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked intent from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty failing to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped again on 55 and 63, the latter chance flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with teammates getting out beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves following an injury to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and boast the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are overall moving in the correct path – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent problem which demands focus.