The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition pay.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back into the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were later diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the last two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the final over, maintained her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked intent from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to grab a difficult catch while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners falling near her.

Later in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and have the lowest catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall moving in the correct path – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring issue which needs attention.