Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the last innings segment to complete a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a modest score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth successive defeat since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the final two bowling phases, with only 12 additional runs necessary.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she set herself to deliver the final over, kept her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from ball one, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly smaller.

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to grab a challenging catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped further on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance going straight to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 at this tournament and have the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are playing in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent concern which needs attention.