Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to preserve their campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to achieve a thrilling victory over their opponents and keep their slim chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a modest score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the remaining six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three losses and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with just 12 runs required.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded only three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, held her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about the team's batting display. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been significantly less.

It needed them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out around her.

Later in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall progressing in the correct path – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a glaring issue which demands improvement.