The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and preserve their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine more runs from the last six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a thrilling success for Sri Lanka.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

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

While the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu failed to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

During their chase, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty reconstructed their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

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

Yet, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a few of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the final over, held her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be many questions about the team's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the chase was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a early batting collapse, and finally forcing themselves excessive to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203 total objective would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to hold a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed once more on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the second one was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a possible 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are generally moving in the proper way – they are competing in just their second one-day World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious concern which demands improvement.