Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their campaign breathing

ICC Women's 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 win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a modest score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a debut international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the last two overs, with merely 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the decisive over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side lacked aggression from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target would have been significantly lower.

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and display the worst catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are typically moving in the correct path – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding standards is a obvious issue which needs improvement.