The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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 emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a heart-stopping victory over Bangladesh and keep their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – moves them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

While Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding display.

They provided lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the last two overs, with merely 12 runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the final moment.

In the end, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the required total was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually making themselves too much to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on 55 and 63, the latter chance traveling right to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out near her.

Later in the game, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a little unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are overall heading in the right direction – they are competing in just their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious issue which demands attention.