Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and keep their slim aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the competition after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them level on four match points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.

They gifted second chances to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu failed to capitalise, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team approaching the last two overs, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

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

Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from ball one, accumulating runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been substantially lower.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to grab a tough catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling right to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with batting partners getting out beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this competition and have the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally moving in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding is a glaring problem which demands focus.