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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding display.

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

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She scored a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

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

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the remaining two overs, with just 12 additional runs needed.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded just three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, kept her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been significantly less.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a difficult opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the latter chance flying right to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with partners getting out near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this tournament and have the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically heading in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a obvious problem which needs focus.