The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the last over to seal a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and preserve their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

However, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them level on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight defeat since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.

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

She registered a debut international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the remaining two overs, with only 12 additional runs required.

However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the last over, kept hers. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the start, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately making themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203-run target target would have been considerably less.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty being unable to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled once more on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance going straight to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners falling around her.

Afterwards in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the run-out chance was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a one-off. They've missed 14 chances from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but poor fielding is a prominent concern which needs attention.