The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 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 claimed four wickets in the decisive over to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

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

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

While the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding display.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

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

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the final two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the final over, kept her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from ball one, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and finally making themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the field, that 203-run target target would have been substantially smaller.

It needed them three efforts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a challenging opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with batting partners falling near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall heading in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding performance is a obvious problem which needs focus.