The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 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 margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to seal a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four match points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding display.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though Athapaththu was unable to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition pay.

She achieved a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the remaining two innings segments, with only 12 runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the last over, kept her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but rather the required total was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately making themselves too much to do.

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

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a challenging opportunity while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled once more on 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners falling beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the worst catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a obvious problem which requires improvement.