Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign alive

ICC Women's 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 claimed four wickets in the final over to achieve a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and preserve their slim chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a modest total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition pay.

She registered a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the last two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the target was significantly less.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the start, making runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to do.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run objective would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three efforts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt going right to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the latter was a little unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this tournament and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally moving in the correct path – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a obvious problem which demands improvement.