The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi 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); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and maintain their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Pursuing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a dramatic win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

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

Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding display.

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

Although Athapaththu failed to make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She scored a debut international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 total.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the remaining two overs, with just 12 runs needed.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a few of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the final over, held her composure. The opposition did not.

There will be many inquiries about the team's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the target was significantly less.

However, the batting side lacked purpose from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the field, that 203-run goal would have been considerably less.

It needed them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to grab a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was missed again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with partners getting out around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was also a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the latter was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an injury to Joty.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a available 27 opportunities at this competition and display the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are typically progressing in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding standards is a prominent problem which needs attention.