The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes breathing
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their decisive last group encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai
Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs
The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the last over to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.
Chasing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the last six bowls.
However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.
The win – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three defeats and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them level on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight defeat since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
While Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a subpar fielding display.
They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.
She scored a first international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and sharing an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with De Silva.
Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Joty restored their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.
It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the final two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs needed.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the death.
The Bangladeshi team are unable to hold nerve - and fielding opportunities
Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her nerve. The opposition did not.
There will be plenty of inquiries about the team's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was much lower.
Yet, the batting side showed little purpose from ball one, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to achieve.
But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding department, that 203-run target target would have been significantly lower.
It took them three tries to end the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a difficult catch behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya.
Perera was spilled once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to up the ante with batting partners getting out near her.
Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this competition and display the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.
They are a side who are typically heading in the right direction – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding performance is a glaring problem which needs focus.
