The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign ongoing

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): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their faint aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four match points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a poor fielding display.

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

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She registered a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the match, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the win at the death.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of teammates as she set herself to bowl the last over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the target was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the start, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to hold a challenging opportunity while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

Perera was missed further on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, although the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an injury to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this tournament and boast the lowest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a obvious problem which demands improvement.