Heather Knight leads England to hard-fought win against Bangladesh

Heather Knight’s composed innings guided England to a four-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their second match of the ICC Women’s World Cup at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest target of 179, England were rocked early by Bangladesh’s fiery bowling attack, slipping to 29 for 2 after Marufa Akter struck twice in quick succession.

Marufa first trapped Amy Jones lbw for 1 before removing opener Tammy Beaumont for 13 with a brilliant in-swinger following a successful review.

Bangladesh continued to apply pressure through Fahima Khatun, who triggered a middle-order collapse with three crucial wickets.

She removed England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt for 32 runs with a well-flighted delivery that was chipped straight to midwicket, dismissed Sophia Dunkley lbw for a duck and then took the catch of Emma Lamb for 1, reducing England to 78-5.

Sanjida Akter Maghla added to Bangladesh’s momentum by trapping Alice Capsey lbw for 20, leaving England in deep trouble at 103 for 6—still 76 runs away from victory.

But Heather Knight held her ground with a brave innings, anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 79 off 111 balls. She received crucial support from Charlie Dean, who remained not out on 27 from 56 deliveries as the pair guided England home with a steady 76-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Earlier, Bangladesh had been bowled out for 178 runs in 49.4 overs, thanks to Sobhana Mostary’s resilient 60 and Rabeya Khan’s quickfire 43.

Despite Bangladesh’s spirited performance with both bat and ball, Knight’s composure under pressure made the difference as England sealed a hard-fought win to stay on course in the World Cup campaign.