Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 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

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the last innings segment to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their narrow hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the last six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four match points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided lifelines to Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She scored a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the remaining two overs, with merely 12 additional runs required.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the final over, held her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was much lower.

Yet, the batting side lacked intent from the very beginning, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a top-order collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

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

It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a tough catch while keeping to send back Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was missed again on 55 and 63, the latter chance going directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with partners getting out around her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, although the latter was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the proper way – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding is a glaring issue which demands focus.