Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a thrilling win over Bangladesh and preserve their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding display.

They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition pay.

She achieved a first international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting effort. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the target was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the very beginning, scoring at below 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a early batting collapse, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target target would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a difficult opportunity while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed again on her score of 55 and 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with partners getting out near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 at this competition and display the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are overall heading in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a glaring concern which needs improvement.