Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the last six balls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight defeat since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

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

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

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed only three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the last over, held hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side lacked aggression from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves too much to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been substantially smaller.

It required them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a challenging opportunity while keeping to send back Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled again on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners being dismissed around her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and boast the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall moving in the correct path – they are playing in just their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding performance is a glaring concern which needs improvement.