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

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the final over to achieve a thrilling win over their opponents and preserve their faint aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the final six balls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding performance.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over triggering a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 complete.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were subsequently brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the final two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of teammates as she got ready to bowl the final over, held her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous questions about the team's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the target was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.

It took them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a tough chance while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled once more on 55 and 63, the final opportunity going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners getting out near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the latter was a little unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a available 27 at this World Cup and boast the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a team who are typically progressing in the proper way – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious issue which requires attention.