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

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and keep their slim chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth successive loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

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

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting display. They could easily have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the required total was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run objective would have been substantially less.

It required them three tries to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to take a tough opportunity while keeping to send back Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled once more on 55 and 63, the latter chance going directly to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with teammates getting out near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the second one was a little unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 at this tournament and boast the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are generally heading in the right direction – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent problem which needs improvement.