Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 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 last innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and keep their slim aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting win for the Lankan team.

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

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a poor fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu was unable to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the last two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded only three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many questions about the team's batting display. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but in contrast the chase was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to do.

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

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was missed again on 55 and 63, the last attempt flying straight to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out near her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the second one was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious issue which requires attention.