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England will still be riding high after the Linsey Smith inspired demolition of South Africa last Friday. But expect Bangladesh to be tougher opposition today. They also won their first match and in nearly as comfortable a fashion too. A seven wicket win with the best part of 20 overs to spare against Pakistan in Colombo more than showcased their credentials.
The Tigresses can call upon a real smorgasbord of spin options to test England. Nine of the ten Pakistan wickets in Colombo fell to their twirlers.
It’s a case of as you were for England, so they have been able to get nicely acclimatised to Guwahati and are not short of bowling punch in all departments and it’s another fresh pitch today, but may very well be similar to the one that saw South Africa collapse in a heap.
Fascinating stuff to come. Hang out with us here to enjoy it.
England win by four wickets. They were given a massive scare early on but their wealth of experience in the form of Heather Knight (79*) has got them over the line. Spare a thought for Bangladesh. They bowled their hearts out and didn’t leave any stone unturned in the field save for a dropped catch at cover but an upset was not meant to be. It is a full toss from Mostary and Charlie Dean does not miss out, thumps it it in front of square and seals the deal.
Marufa Akter is still absent from the field. “We are hearing she might not come on,” informs Nasser Hussain on air. That’s a hammer blow for Bangladesh because the on-song seamer might have provided the spark they need to break this partnership.
Nigar Sultana is changing her bowlers every over as England approach the target with half-centurion Heather Knight leading the charge. It has been a valiant knock from the pro who lived dangerously and ate up plenty of dots in the nascent stages of her innings. Charlie Dean, meanwhile, is playing second fiddle to the best of her ability.
Lovely use of her feet. Knight waltzes down the pitch, gets to the pitch of the ball and frees her arms by lofting it straight down the ground, one bounce and over the ropes.
Shanjida Akter Meghla unfurls a peach to catch Alice Capsey stonedead. She is over the moon as the umpire points to the heavens. Flighted delivery, drifts in with the angle and straightens to an appreciable degree. Capsey leans forward to tuck it around the corner and closes the bat face, although the ball spins past her blade and thuds into the back leg. This is a significant breakthrough because Bangladesh have now broken into the tail.
Two deliveries that were fractionally on the shorter side have been converted into boundaries by Alice Capsey, who is providing able support to Heather Knight as England chase 179.
The pressure was building on the chasing side and Lamb has holed out to mid-on – a third wicket for Fahima Khatun and she does the happy dance to celebrate. Was undone by the flight yet went through with an ugly swipe, drags it off the inner half and straight down mid-on’s throat.
Bangladesh look tense as umpire Gayathri Venugopalan checks for several angles to verify the legitimacy of the catch. It does appear to be clean with the fingers underneath the ball and the giant screen glows in red.
Her previous over was a miserly one but Heather Knight knows England can’t let Bangladesh get away with too many dots. She gives the charge, brings her wrists into play and lifts the ball over long-on for a maximum. The ex-England captain has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders but she is discharging her duties to perfection by soaking up the pressure and taking calculated risks.
An oustanding follow-up to a prolific over from her partner-in-crime.
The bespectacled leg-spinners bowls fuller and slower than other tweakers, and England are clearly struggling to come to terms with the flight, dip and turn she is conjuring up. While a well-set Nat-Sciver Brunt half-heartedly chipped it straight to mid-wicket, Sophia Dunkley was trapped in front by the wrong’ un.
Bangladesh have come roaring back into the contest by breaking the 40-run partnership between seasoned pros Brunt and Heather Knight, following it up with the wicket of another veteran.
Following a couple of quiet overs from spinners Fahima Khatun and Nahida Akter, an opportunity is gone begging. Beautifully looped by Fahima, sucks Heather Knight into the lunging drive, and the catch is taken extremely low at cover. Third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan is having an arduous day as she is forced to make another tricky decision. ‘It’s inconclusive’, she says once again and the benefit of doubt goes to Knight for the second time.
She is one of England’s most accomplished players and the ideal person to occupy the crease at a precarious time like this. Rabeya Khan’s first over has been bookended by fours, both drag-downs that were duly punished.
Bangladesh may have been guilty of overbowling Marufa as tiredness seems to have crept into her operation. Her impressive figures hitherto have been tarnished as Nat-Sciver Brunt blazes off the blocks with three boundaries. Two of these bad balls were full tosses and the remaining a gentle, overpitched loosener. The England lynchpin is too good a batter to miss out on such freebies.
Heather Knight is saved by her shimmie ensued by a big forward stride as Marufa continues to make the ball talk. Definitely struck in line, no bat and UltrEdge vindicates, however it’s doing too much and bouncing past the leg-stump. Wicket or not, this is an astounding exhibition of swing bowling from young Marufa.
Her banana inswing has England in a tizzy. The ball is curving back in a mile from outside off and another batter gets beaten on the inside edge to fall victim. Bangladesh had to review to get the decision in their favour.
Was struck flush on the pad and height wasn’t an issue, no wood and UltraEdge confirms the same. Onto ball-tracking, it’s three reds and Beaumont is on her way.
Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight have hit a four each, both in the point region, as England aim to stabilize their ship after the early wobble.
Nigar Sultana is miffed with the decision of the third umpire decision and has a long chat with umpire Claire Polosak. The original call was out for the caught-behind appeal but the evidence wasn’t conclusive enough. The third umpire reckoned that there was no proof of the ball clipping the bat and hence asked the on-field umpire to reverse her decision. Captain Heather Knight is the beneficiary of the contentious move.
She bowled an excellent first over but has now come under the scanner for dropping an absolute sitter. Beaumont was undone by the lack of pace on the ball as she rocked back to cut, offering a regulation catch to short cover off the toe end of the bat. However, Marufa makes a hash of it, much to Bangladesh’s chagrin.
Bangladesh missed an opportunity to claim the wicket of the opening batter after she was rapped on the pads by Marufa Akter on the third delivery of the England chase. They decided against the review and replays threw up three reds.
However, the error in judgement didn’t come back to haunt them as another inswinger got the job done on the final ball. Her head falling across, Jones played all over it and the umpire’s finger went up this time.
Another excellent bowling effort from England, but hats off to Rabeya Khan who was feisty and defiant. Spin did the trick for England and it was three for Ecclestone as the star turn.
179 to win should be straightforward. But Bangladesh are also packed with spinners so England won’t be thinking its easy.
Wallop. Rabeya has creamed Smith over long off for 6. It’s Bell too. A four after that as well. You do wonder why she’s batting so far down the order.
But after a single, Meghla can’t see the over out. She chips Smith to Sciver-Brunt and two balls short of the fifty Bangladesh are bundled out for 178.
Rabeya’s at it again. Across her stumps she goes and whips over square for four.
Another big shout but no doing this time and Meghala survives.
A clever little steer to third from Rabeya who is showing technique as well as muscle. 5 from that over off Smith
Alice Capsey replaces Ecclestone who’s splendid ten are done.
A big shout for LBW. England keen and with only 3 and a bit overs left they review. A CRACKING REVIEW TOO. That was smacking off, so off goes Mostary for a battling 60.
AND ANOTHER. Marufa survives a wide. But then chips to Bell at mid off. Picked the wrong fielder for that. Two in the over for Capsey.
Smith has just nine runs and wicket off her seven overs so far. Super stuff. But dear me what was that. A full toss that’s what. And it gets the appropriate treatment from Rabeya before she edges fine for four more . It’s positive from her and it needs to be.
