Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 7 : Heather Knight's composed knock saved England from an upset and steered them to a four-wicket triumph over Bangladesh on Tuesday at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati at the ongoing Women's World Cup.
After spinners set the tone of the game for them, England batters had to work hard to churn out a victory. England were left threadbare at 103/6 midway through the 30th over and needed a source of inspiration to pull them out of the dire situation. Knight, the former England skipper, rose to the challenge and dug deep by engineering an unbeaten 79 (111).
Her efforts ensured England walked out of the stadium unbeaten in the tournament. While pursuing a 179-run target, right-arm quick Marufa Akter drew the first blood, removing the opening pair Tammy Beaumont (13) and Amy Jones (1).
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt counterattacked with 32 (41); however, her efforts ended tamely after she dispatched a full toss to midwicket. England then went through a mini-collapse, losing four wickets for 34 runs. However, Knight kept her nerves in check and brought England home with a four-wicket win and a couple of overs to spare.
Earlier in the match, England's spin department worked wonders and restricted Bangladesh to 179 despite Sobhana Mostary's spirited half-century. Sophie Ecclestone was the standout as she cast a spell with her spinning deliveries and returned with figures of 3-24.
Left-armer Linsey Smith, who was the mastermind behind England's 10-wicket drubbing of South Africa, scythed 2/33. Off-spinners Charlie Dean and Alice Capsey maintained their economical nature and scalped two apiece.
Bangladesh maintained a sluggish tempo and failed to accelerate despite stitching up a couple of partnerships and moments of individual brilliance. Bangladesh were reduced to 25/2 inside the first six overs following the dismissal of Rubya Haider (4) and skipper Nigar Sultana for a two-ball duck.
Seamer Lauren Bell ended Sharmin Akhter's slow-paced 30(52) to further add to Bangladesh's woes. Charlie Dean and Ecclestone cleaned up the middle order with Shorna Akter (10 off 23), Ritu Moni (5 off 36), Fahima Khatun (7 off 25) and Nahida Akter (1 off 8) perishing against the spin duo.
Mostary came in at number four and notched her maiden ODI fifty but found no support from the other end. She looked jittery en route to her half-century as she survived a caught-behind chance off Dean. She eventually brought up the landmark moment, becoming just the third Bangladesh player to score a Women's World Cup half-century.
Capsey pinned Mostary to end her exploits on 60(108), but Rabeya Khan's late resistance kept Bangladesh going. She tonked the first six of the match off Smith in the final over, clearing the boundary at long-on, and followed up immediately with four through fine leg. She returned unbeaten with 43 off 27 balls, laced with six fours and a solitary maximum, as Bangladesh bundled out on 178.
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