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

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a debut international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the final two innings segments, with only 12 more runs needed.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the final over, held her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many questions about the team's batting display. They could easily have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the target was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked intent from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the field, that 203 total objective would have been substantially less.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a challenging chance while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with teammates getting out beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've dropped 14 chances from a potential 27 at this competition and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are competing in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding is a prominent problem which demands focus.