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

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to achieve a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a attainable total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive defeat since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu could not make it count, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition pay.

She scored a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the last two overs, with only 12 more runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the last over, held her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the chase was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target would have been significantly lower.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped once more on 55 and 63, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners falling around her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties after an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and have the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall heading in the correct path – they are participating in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but poor fielding is a prominent concern which requires attention.