The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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 win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the remaining six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them level on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight defeat since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding display.

They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu was unable to make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team approaching the final two bowling phases, with only 12 runs necessary.

However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be many inquiries about the team's batting display. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was much lower.

Yet, the batting side lacked aggression from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves too much to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to hold a challenging opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed again on 55 runs and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with teammates getting out beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring problem which demands attention.