The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

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

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She achieved a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 balls and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the final over, kept her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from ball one, accumulating runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually making themselves too much to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run target target would have been significantly lower.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a tough chance while keeping to send back Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this tournament and display the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding standards is a glaring issue which requires improvement.