Knight's Crucial Knock Secures England's Narrow Victory Versus Bangladesh
ICC Women's Global Tournament, Guwahati Stadium
Bangladesh Team 178 (49.4 overs): Mostary 60 (108); Sophie Ecclestone 3-24
England Squad 182-6 (46.1 overs): Heather Knight 79* (111); Fahima Khatun 3-16
England won by four wickets in hand
Heather Knight's not out 79 steered the English team to a tight four-wicket victory over Bangladesh, maintaining their winning run in the Women's World Cup in Guwahati.
Chasing just 179 to win on a tricky surface, the England lineup slumped to 78-5 and 103-6 as their ongoing difficulties against spin resurfaced.
But, a patient, unbeaten stand of 79 between Heather Knight and Dean, who made 27, enabled England achieve their target in the 47th over.
Knight Overcomes Early Scares to Anchor England Batting Effort
Seamer Marufa removed top-order batters Jones and Beaumont early with swinging deliveries, before the turning point came in the 15th over when former captain Knight was given a reprieve on 13.
She drilled the ball to Shorna at cover, but the third umpire decided that the player had touched the ball along the turf as she dived forward, following Knight also overturning a caught behind and an leg before wicket.
From there on, she was gritty and composed in her first innings following from a injury, as England edged a nerve-wracking contest that could have been one of the tournament's major surprises.
Fahima was the instigator of England's middle-order collapse with 3-16, spearheading an admirable bowling performance after their batters had similarly struggled.
The English Spin Bowling Quartet Shines Once More
The team’s spinners expectedly dominated, taking nine dismissals between them as the opposition were dismissed for 178 runs in 49.4 overs.
Sophie Ecclestone stood out with three for 24 while Dean, Smith and Alice Capsey took two wickets each.
They faced stubborn resistance from Sobhana Mostary, who made 60 runs from 108 balls, before Rabeya provided some late and crucial momentum with an not out 43 from 27.
The England squad head to Colombo to continue their campaign, taking on Sri Lanka on the weekend.
Post-Match Comments
England captain Sciver-Brunt: "We accomplished what we needed to do to secure the win. Before the tournament, we spoke as a team that not every match is going to be easy and we will need some resilience in our skills. It could have been a bit better but we are really pleased."
"Their composure they [Knight and Dean] showed in a tense scenario was brilliant. We hoped to have done it with a fewer wickets down but that is the way it went in the final outcome."
Bangladesh captain Joty: "It was an incredible match, especially with the manner my girls battled until the last ball."
"We were perhaps 20-30 runs light on that pitch. Should she have batted earlier?"
"I wanted the batters to play until the last ball because we might have scored 10 or 12 runs more. Our players are very inexperienced and at times not taking the decisions and we aimed to give them guidance to succeed in the middle overs."
Ex-England bowler Alex Hartley: "The England team must to get better at facing spin. For any opposition, you know you have to deliver as much spin as is possible on the surface you have against England."
