The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the final innings segment to complete a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and preserve their faint chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the last six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.

They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She registered a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the match, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were later brought down to 44-3.

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

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the final two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the final over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh lacked intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves too much to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a tough chance while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this tournament and boast the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent issue which needs focus.