Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign alive

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

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the decisive over to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their slim aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a poor fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were later brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs required.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she set herself to bowl the final over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked intent from the start, scoring at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had taken their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been considerably less.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed once more on 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying straight to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a little unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and display the poorest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally heading in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a glaring problem which demands improvement.