The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to seal a thrilling win over their opponents and preserve their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Needing a modest target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition pay.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty restored their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the last two innings segments, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the last over, kept her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but in contrast the chase was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked purpose from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their chances in the fielding area, that 203 total objective would have been significantly smaller.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a tough chance while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped again on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance going straight to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and have the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally moving in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent problem which needs improvement.