The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a modest target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting win for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44-3.

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

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the final two innings segments, with merely 12 more runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she set herself to deliver the last over, held hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting display. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side lacked intent from the start, scoring at less than 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately making themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run objective would have been significantly smaller.

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to grab a challenging opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this competition and display the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a obvious problem which demands focus.