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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): 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

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and preserve their slim aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

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

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting win for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth successive defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding display.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the last two innings segments, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the last over, maintained hers. The opposition could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the field, that 203-run goal would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to grab a difficult chance while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

Perera was missed further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying right to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this competition and display the worst catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are generally heading in the right direction – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious issue which requires focus.