Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes alive

ICC Women's World Cup, 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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to seal a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and keep their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Chasing a modest target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the remaining six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling win for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, suffered a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the game to remove Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not make it count, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh pay.

She scored a maiden international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward Bangladesh approaching the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a several of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the decisive over, held hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little aggression from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves too much to accomplish.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly smaller.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped again on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt traveling straight to Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna as she tried to accelerate the scoring with partners getting out beside her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a little unfortunate, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 chances at this competition and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall heading in the right direction – they are competing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent concern which demands attention.