The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to achieve a thrilling win over Bangladesh and preserve their narrow hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six deliveries.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

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

While the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.

They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu was unable to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She registered a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were later reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the final moment.

In the end, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the target was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately making themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target objective would have been considerably lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to hold a challenging chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped once more on 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with partners being dismissed beside her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the latter was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the lowest catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are competing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding performance is a glaring issue which needs improvement.