The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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 emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the last over to complete a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and keep their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the final six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the final two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away just three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the decisive over, kept hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many questions about the team's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked intent from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run goal would have been substantially lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a tough chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with partners falling around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves after an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a available 27 at this tournament and have the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are typically heading in the proper way – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a obvious problem which requires focus.