The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

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

Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth successive loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the remaining two innings segments, with only 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away merely three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked aggression from the start, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been substantially lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a difficult opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying straight to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with partners falling around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties following an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and have the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally heading in the correct path – they are participating in only their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a glaring problem which requires focus.