The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to complete a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

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

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, experienced a fifth successive setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

They gifted lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to capitalise, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a first international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

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

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the last two overs, with merely 12 additional runs required.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed only three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka snatched the triumph at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was significantly less.

Yet, the batting side lacked intent from the very beginning, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves too much to accomplish.

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

It needed them three tries to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to hold a difficult catch behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling right to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with batting partners falling around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the second one was a little unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding performance is a glaring concern which needs attention.