The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to achieve a thrilling win over Bangladesh and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a attainable score of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a first international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing opening overs and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their batting effort, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the remaining two innings segments, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded just three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of team-mates as she set herself to deliver the last over, held hers. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting performance. They might well have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the very beginning, making runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been substantially lower.

It needed them three attempts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a difficult chance while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity flying directly to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves after an injury to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally heading in the proper way – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a glaring problem which requires attention.