The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and preserve their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a poor fielding display.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She achieved a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring opening overs and they were later brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

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

It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with only 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the final over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was much lower.

However, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from ball one, making runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, suffering a early batting collapse, and finally making themselves too much to do.

But whatever problems 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 needed them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with partners falling around her.

Later in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the latter was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties after an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically heading in the right direction – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent issue which demands attention.