The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to preserve their campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, 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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the final over to complete a thrilling triumph over their opponents and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a below-par total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six deliveries.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth consecutive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a poor fielding effort.

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

Although Athapaththu failed to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back in the match, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were afterwards brought down to 44-3.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the last two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs required.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and conceded just three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, kept her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side lacked intent from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run target would have been significantly lower.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.

The batter was missed further on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance flying directly to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with partners getting out beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a little unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 chances from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring concern which requires improvement.