The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four wickets in the last innings segment to achieve a thrilling triumph over their opponents and preserve their slim aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu failed to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She registered a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the final two bowling phases, with merely 12 additional runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the death.

Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the required total was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves excessive to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been substantially smaller.

It needed them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to take a difficult opportunity while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves following an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are overall moving in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious problem which demands focus.