The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a attainable total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the last six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The triumph – 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 level on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

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

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the remaining two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, kept hers. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side lacked intent from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target goal would have been substantially smaller.

It needed them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a challenging chance while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity going straight to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with partners falling around her.

Afterwards in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this competition and boast the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which demands improvement.