Bangladesh showed great promise with disciplined bowling despite a modest total, but they ultimately lost due to two controversial TV umpire decisions and loose bowling in the later stages.
England’s sixth-wicket fell when 76 runs were still required, and the match had largely tilted in Bangladesh’s favor. However, in the crucial final overs, Bangladesh’s loose bowling allowed England to take control. Heather Knight survived twice due to contentious TV umpire calls, steering her team to victory.
In the Women’s ODI World Cup, England defeated Bangladesh by 4 wickets.
Starting their innings with just 178 runs in Guwahati on Tuesday, Bangladesh sparked hope with excellent early bowling. By the 30th over, England was 130 for 6. But Bangladesh could not capitalize further. Knight and Charlie Dean stitched an unbeaten 79-run partnership for the seventh wicket, taking England to victory with 23 balls to spare.
Heather Knight’s unbeaten 79 off 101 balls earned her the Player of the Match award.
Yet, the headlines were dominated by two controversial TV umpire decisions. Knight was initially given out LBW for zero, but the third umpire overturned it due to insufficient evidence. Later, at 13 runs, Knight’s catch was expertly held by fielder Sarna Akter, but the TV umpire, Gayatri Venugopalan from India, again ruled her ‘not out’ due to inconclusive footage.
Wickets were at a premium in the match, and batting was far from easy. Sobhana Mostari’s fifty (60 off 108) and Rabeya Khan’s cameo (43 off 27) were Bangladesh’s only solid contributions.
Marufa Akter, who had taken two wickets in the first over against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, struck early again. She removed Amy Jones LBW with a brilliant inswing delivery in the first over.
In the second over, Tammy Beaumont could have fallen, but Nahida Akter’s delivery resulted in a dropped catch by Marufa.
In the following over, Marufa appealed for Knight’s LBW, but the TV umpire declared it ‘inconclusive’ after a review. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana was seen discussing the decision with the on-field umpires.
Beaumont didn’t last long either; Marufa trapped her LBW in her fourth over. England, who had previously bowled out South Africa for 69 in a 10-wicket win, lost two openers within 29 runs in this match.
Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt then stabilized the innings. A controversial moment arose again in the 15th over when a catch off Knight was ruled ‘not out’ after multiple TV umpire reviews, frustrating Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana once more.
Spin bowler Fahima Khatun then removed Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley, followed by Emma Lamb, taking England to 78 for 5. Knight crossed her fifty, and with Alice Capsey scoring valuable runs, England chased down the target. Knight finished unbeaten on 79 off 101 balls.
Earlier, Bangladesh, having lost the toss, struggled in their batting innings. Sharmin Akter’s 30 and Rubaiya Haider’s 4 gave some resistance, but regular wickets fell, and the team could not maintain momentum. Sobhana Mostari’s 60 off 92 balls and Rabeya Khan’s late surge pushed Bangladesh to 178 in 49.4 overs.
England’s four spinners shared nine wickets, and Bangladesh could not capitalize on the opportunity to beat England despite a strong start. Another potential victory ended in defeat.
Brief Scorecard
- Bangladesh: 178/9 in 49.4 overs (Rubaiya 4, Sharmin 30, Nigar 0, Sobhana 60, Sarna 10, Ritu 5, Fahima 7, Nahida 1, Rabeya 43*, Sanzida 1; Bell 7-1-28-1, Smith 9.4-1-33-2, Sciver-Brunt 5-0-32-0, Dean 10-2-28-2, Capsey 8-1-31-2)
- England: 182/6 in 46.1 overs (Beaumont 13, Jones 1, Knight 79*, Sciver-Brunt 32, Dunkley 0, Lamb 1, Capsey 20, Dean 27*; Marufa 5-0-28-2, Nahida 8-1-34-0, Sanzida 7-0-24-1, Rabeya 7-1-39-0, Fahima 10-2-16-3, Sarna 7-0-33-0, Ritu 2-1-3-0, Sobhana 0.1-4-0)
Result: England won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Heather Knight
