The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the final over to complete a nail-biting win over their opponents and preserve their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the last six bowls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's first of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

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

Although the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

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

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the last two bowling phases, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away merely three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, held her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the required total was much lower.

However, Bangladesh lacked intent from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves too much to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total goal would have been considerably less.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a challenging chance behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners falling beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves after an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 at this tournament and display the worst catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs improvement.