The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a modest score of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the last six deliveries.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth straight defeat since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding effort.

They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

She achieved a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their score, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the last two overs, with only 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the final over, kept hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked intent from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been substantially less.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to take a challenging opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed further on 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying straight to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with teammates getting out near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this competition and display the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are typically heading in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup in the end – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs attention.