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

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): 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

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the last innings segment to complete a nail-biting win over their opponents and keep their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the last six deliveries.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them tied on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, endured a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a disappointing fielding performance.

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

Although Athapaththu failed to make it count, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She registered a first international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back into the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

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

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the death.

Finally, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from ball one, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been considerably lower.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to take a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped once more on 55 runs and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 chances at this tournament and have the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a obvious issue which requires focus.