The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to complete a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and keep their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth straight defeat since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a subpar fielding performance.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was spilled three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu could not capitalise, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing opening overs and they were afterwards brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the final two overs, with just 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually making themselves excessive to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been substantially less.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on 55 and 63, the last attempt flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with teammates being dismissed beside her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are typically heading in the correct path – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring issue which requires focus.