The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to seal a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and keep their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

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

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth successive loss since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the match to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to make it count, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She registered a debut international half-century, making 85 from 99 balls and building an significant 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the remaining two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs required.

However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team seized the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the final over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was much lower.

However, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the very beginning, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a early batting collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the field, that 203 total goal would have been substantially lower.

It needed them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a tough opportunity while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was missed again on 55 and 63, the latter chance going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed beside her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, while the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 at this tournament and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a glaring problem which requires attention.