The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and preserve their narrow hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the remaining six bowls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four match points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

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

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the final two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the win at the death.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, kept her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a difficult chance while keeping to send back Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall heading in the proper way – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a prominent issue which demands improvement.