Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes alive

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the final over to seal a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the remaining six deliveries.

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

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them equal on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, endured a fifth successive loss since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a poor fielding display.

They offered second chances to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

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

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the death.

In the end, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the final over, held hers. The opposition could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the target was much lower.

However, the batting side showed little aggression from the start, scoring at less than 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately making themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been significantly smaller.

It took them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to hold a challenging opportunity while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped again on 55 runs and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out near her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this competition and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a obvious concern which needs attention.