The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a thrilling victory over their opponents and maintain their narrow chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them equal on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

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

Even though the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

They provided lifelines to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.

She registered a maiden international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the final two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs required.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a few of team-mates as she got ready to deliver the last over, held her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting display. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.

However, the batting side lacked purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three attempts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to hold a difficult catch behind the stumps to send back Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates falling beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and boast the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the correct path – they are competing in merely their second one-day World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring concern which needs attention.