The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and maintain their faint aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

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

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the match to remove Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They provided lifelines to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper could not make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition pay.

She registered a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 balls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the last two bowling phases, with merely 12 runs needed.

However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a early batting collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably less.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 runs before the captain survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed again on 55 and 63, the last attempt going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out around her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 at this competition and boast the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are playing in just their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding is a glaring concern which demands attention.