Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their slim aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the final six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, suffered a fifth successive loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their batting effort, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the last two innings segments, with just 12 runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their opportunities in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a challenging opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled again on 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 chances at this competition and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the correct path – they are competing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a glaring issue which needs attention.