The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not make it count, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She registered a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were later reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the final two bowling phases, with merely 12 additional runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, the batting side lacked purpose from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to achieve.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling straight to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this competition and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent concern which demands improvement.