Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the final innings segment to complete a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six balls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them level on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a poor fielding effort.

They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

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

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the last over, held her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the required total was significantly less.

Yet, the batting side lacked aggression from the very beginning, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run target objective would have been substantially less.

It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners falling beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this competition and have the poorest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the correct path – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs improvement.