The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): 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 secured four wickets in the decisive over to complete a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu failed to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition suffer.

She achieved a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team approaching the last two bowling phases, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the final over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the chase was much lower.

Yet, the batting side showed little aggression from ball one, scoring at below 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target target would have been considerably less.

It needed them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped once more on 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to up the ante with partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this competition and display the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are overall heading in the right direction – they are participating in merely their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding is a glaring concern which requires focus.