Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to seal a heart-stopping victory over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre initial phase and they were subsequently reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the final two overs, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the final over, maintained her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting performance. They could easily have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the start, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

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

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a difficult catch while keeping to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the last attempt flying straight to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out around her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the latter was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 at this tournament and display the lowest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally moving in the correct path – they are competing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring problem which needs focus.