The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to seal a nail-biting victory over their opponents and maintain their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding effort.

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

Even though Athapaththu failed to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She achieved a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with merely 12 runs required.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the final over, kept her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked intent from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been significantly lower.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties after an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are participating in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding standards is a obvious concern which demands focus.