The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to preserve their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the last over to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and keep their narrow chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a modest total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the final six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu could not take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She scored a first international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 more runs required.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the win at the death.

In the end, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the last over, held her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from the start, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

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

It required them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a tough chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt going right to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the gloves due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 chances at this World Cup and display the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are typically heading in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring problem which demands improvement.