Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to achieve a thrilling triumph over their opponents and keep their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them level on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding display.

They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, fought themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the final two overs, with just 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and gave away just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerve. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the last over, kept hers. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, the batting side showed little intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and finally forcing themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203 total goal would have been substantially lower.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was missed once more on 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt flying directly to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with partners falling around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are generally heading in the right direction – they are playing in only their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious problem which demands improvement.