The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a thrilling win over their opponents and preserve their narrow hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding display.

They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a maiden international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over causing a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the last two overs, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away just three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the decisive over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the start, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to do.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target objective would have been substantially less.

It required them three tries to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to take a difficult chance behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with partners getting out beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and have the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are overall heading in the proper way – they are competing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding performance is a glaring problem which demands attention.