England secured a hard-fought four-wicket win over Bangladesh in a Women’s World Cup encounter that proved far more challenging than anticipated. Chasing a modest target of 179, England’s batting lineup faltered, collapsing to 103 for six before a resilient, unbroken 79-run partnership between captain Heather Knight and Charlie Dean guided the team to victory.
The match, however, was overshadowed by a series of contentious umpiring reviews that went in England’s favor. Knight, who top-scored with an unbeaten half-century, survived three separate decisions. She was reprieved twice by the television umpire on caught-behind and caught-at-cover appeals where the evidence was deemed inconclusive, and she also successfully overturned a leg-before decision.
The outcome left a visibly frustrated Bangladesh side, who came agonizingly close to a major upset against the world’s second-ranked team. Their effort was all the more impressive given their lack of recent international competition and an amateur domestic structure.
For England, the performance raised questions about their composure under pressure, despite the win. After a dominant 10-wicket victory in their previous outing, this nervy chase significantly impacted their net run rate.
Bangladesh’s innings was a slow-burning affair, with Sobhana Mostary scoring a maiden half-century from 92 deliveries. A late flurry from Rabeya Khan, who smashed an unbeaten 43 from 27 balls, provided a late surge, but the total ultimately proved insufficient against Knight’s determined, if fortunate, innings.
