The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the decisive over to achieve a thrilling win over their opponents and keep their narrow chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding display.

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

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She achieved a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing initial phase and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the remaining two innings segments, with merely 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded only three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team snatched the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the last over, maintained hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a early batting collapse, and finally making themselves too much to do.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been considerably less.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to grab a difficult catch while keeping to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a return catch possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped further on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 chances from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and boast the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a side who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding performance is a obvious problem which requires focus.