Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to achieve a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and maintain their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a modest score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four match points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, experienced a fifth straight setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a poor fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She registered a first international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two overs, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the last over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be many questions about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the field, that 203 total target would have been significantly lower.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a tough catch while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was missed further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with partners being dismissed around her.

Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties due to an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the worst catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the right direction – they are playing in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent concern which needs focus.