Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine runs from the final six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth successive loss since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.

She registered a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

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

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the last over, kept hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side showed little intent from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target would have been considerably lower.

It needed them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a tough catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the last attempt going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with teammates getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the run-out chance was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this competition and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally heading in the correct path – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding is a glaring concern which demands attention.