Guwahati: Former captain Heather Knight dug deep into her reservoir of experience to score a match-winning half-century and guide England to a four-wicket win over a spirited Bangladesh in the Women’s World Cup here on Tuesday.
Bundled out for 178, the Bangladesh bowling unit, led by leg-spinner Fahima Khatun (3/16 in 10 overs) and pacer Marufa Akter (2/28 in 5 overs), put up a fighting effort to leave England at a precarious 78/5 in the 23rd over, and 103/6 six in the 30th over.
However, Knight, who stepped down from captaincy in March, had other ideas and tackled the challenge posed at her by the Bangladesh bowlers with aplomb while stamping her authority on the game with some bold strokes after the opposition smelled victory.
Knight remained unbeaten on 79 off 111 balls, while Charlie Dean was not out on 27 off 56, when the winning runs were hit. As she battled the Bangladesh bowlers when they had their tails up, Knight found an able ally in Dean, adding 79 runs for the seventh wicket to seal the issue in their team’s favour with 23 balls to spare.
This was after the wily Sophie Ecclestone did the star turn with excellent figures of 3/24 in a thoroughly professional performance by England’s spinners.
For Bangladesh, Sobhana Mostary top-scored with a patient 108-ball 60, while Rabeya Khan made an entertaining 43 off 27 balls after coming in at No. 9, showing the way to the team’s top-order batters how to do it after England opted to field first.
Besides Ecclestone, off-spinners Charlotte Dean (2/28 in 10 overs) and Alice Capsey (2/31 in 8 overs) chipped in with two wickets each for England.
England were off to a disastrous start as they lost Amy Jones (1) in the first over, trapped in front of the wicket by young pacer Akter with a big inswinger after the batter shuffled across. Bangladesh could have had their second in the next over but Marufa dropped Tammy Beaumont after the opener failed to connect properly a lofted shot off left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, who had given the ball some air.
Beaumont, however, could not capitalise on the life as Marufa made amends by having the batter out lbw for 13 to leave England at 29/2 at the start of seventh over.