The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a thrilling win over their opponents and preserve their slim aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a below-par total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the last six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

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

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

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

Even though Athapaththu could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

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

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the last two overs, with only 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a several of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, held hers. The opposition did not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting performance. They could easily have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their chances in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly less.

It required them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to hold a difficult chance behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this tournament and have the lowest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally heading in the correct path – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent concern which demands focus.