Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the decisive over to seal a nail-biting win over their opponents and preserve their slim chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Pursuing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth successive setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

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

While Athapaththu was unable to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a debut international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the remaining two overs, with only 12 more runs needed.

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, kept her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but instead the required total was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side lacked intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been considerably lower.

It took them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a challenging chance behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled once more on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with teammates falling beside her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a possible 27 at this World Cup and display the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are typically moving in the correct path – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but poor fielding is a obvious concern which requires attention.