Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a thrilling victory over their opponents and preserve their faint aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine more runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

While Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She registered a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the final two bowling phases, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of nerve. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of teammates as she prepared to bowl the last over, held hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting performance. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the required total was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side showed little intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been significantly smaller.

It took them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a tough catch behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed once more on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance traveling straight to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally moving in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which requires attention.