Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling win for the Lankan team.

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

The Bangladeshi team, however, endured a fifth consecutive setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu could not capitalise, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

She achieved a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 balls and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were later brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the final two overs, with merely 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the death.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the last over, kept her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

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

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to grab a tough chance while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled once more on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out around her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this tournament and have the lowest catching success rate (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are typically moving in the proper way – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a obvious concern which demands improvement.