Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

Bangladesh 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 secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to seal a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and keep their slim aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Pursuing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

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

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the last two overs, with just 12 runs required.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, held her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203-run target would have been significantly smaller.

It required them three tries to break the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a tough catch while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with batting partners getting out near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the latter was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this tournament and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically moving in the correct path – they are playing in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which requires attention.