Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 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 win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final over to seal a heart-stopping win over their opponents and preserve their narrow chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Chasing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine additional runs from the remaining six deliveries.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

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

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a disappointing fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a first international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing opening overs and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

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

It was in favor of Bangladesh entering the last two overs, with just 12 runs required.

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

Ultimately, it was a match of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the final over, maintained hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting performance. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the chase was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.

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

It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed around her.

Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this World Cup and have the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally moving in the proper way – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a obvious issue which requires attention.