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): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and keep their narrow chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive defeat since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the match to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She registered a first international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing opening overs and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka snatched the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the last over, held hers. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been chasing around 270-280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was much lower.

However, Bangladesh lacked intent from the very beginning, scoring at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target objective would have been significantly less.

It took them three attempts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a tough chance while keeping to remove Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling straight to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Later in the game, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the second one was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally heading in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding standards is a glaring concern which demands improvement.