Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi 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); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the last over to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and preserve their narrow chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

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

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding display.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was spilled three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

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

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

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

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the last two innings segments, with only 12 additional runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a contest of nerve. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, kept her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked purpose from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a initial wicket loss, and finally forcing themselves too much to do.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably less.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the last attempt going straight to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates being dismissed near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious concern which needs focus.