Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last over to achieve a nail-biting win over their opponents and maintain their slim chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the remaining six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She registered a maiden international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the last over, held hers. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was significantly less.

Yet, the batting side showed little aggression from the very beginning, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been substantially less.

It required them three tries to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to hold a tough chance while keeping to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and have the worst catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally heading in the proper way – they are playing in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a glaring problem which needs improvement.