The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the last over to complete a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and keep their slim hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them equal on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive setback since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

She achieved a maiden international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back in the match, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the final two bowling phases, with just 12 more runs necessary.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the death.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a several of teammates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, kept hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the required total was significantly less.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked intent from ball one, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the field, that 203-run target would have been considerably smaller.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a difficult chance while keeping to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally heading in the correct path – they are playing in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a glaring concern which demands attention.