The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the final over to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the last six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

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

While the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back to the match, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

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

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the remaining two overs, with just 12 additional runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the death.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of teammates as she set herself to bowl the last over, held hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side showed little aggression from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to hold a difficult chance behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on 55 runs and 63 runs, the last attempt going right to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a prominent issue which needs focus.