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

ICC Women's World Cup, 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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and preserve their faint hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a below-par total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth straight loss since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She registered a first international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and building an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of teammates as she got ready to bowl the last over, kept her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked aggression from the start, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been considerably less.

It needed them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a tough chance behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled once more on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with batting partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the worst catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding is a obvious concern which requires focus.