Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding effort.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.

She scored a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over causing a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with only 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed merely three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of teammates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, held her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was much lower.

However, the batting side lacked aggression from ball one, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually leaving themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been significantly smaller.

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the latter chance going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out near her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this tournament and display the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are generally moving in the proper way – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding standards is a obvious concern which demands improvement.