Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to preserve their campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four wickets in the final over to complete a nail-biting victory over their opponents and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were later reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the last two overs, with merely 12 additional runs required.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, kept hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the required total was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been considerably less.

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a tough opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped once more on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are playing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a glaring concern which requires focus.