The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup 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): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a nail-biting win over their opponents and preserve their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Chasing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding display.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She scored a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were afterwards diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the final two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs needed.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the last over, held hers. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many inquiries about the team's batting effort. They might well have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the target was significantly less.

Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient purpose from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the field, that 203-run goal would have been significantly less.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a challenging chance as wicketkeeper to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna as she sought to accelerate the scoring with partners falling beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a missed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 chances from a potential 27 at this World Cup and have the lowest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are typically progressing in the correct path – they are competing in only their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring issue which needs focus.