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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to complete a thrilling victory over their opponents and keep their slim aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the remaining six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding display.

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

Even though Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the remaining two innings segments, with only 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203 total target would have been significantly lower.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to hold a difficult catch while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled once more on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates falling near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and have the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are generally moving in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious issue which needs improvement.