The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a thrilling win over their opponents and preserve their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling win for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, endured a fifth consecutive defeat since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership 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 approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked aggression from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, undergoing a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203 total target would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a tough catch while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with batting partners falling near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a prominent problem which needs focus.