England's target of 119 runs proved to be a bridge too far for Bangladesh, as the Nigar Sultana-led side could only muster 97 runs in 20 overs. With that, Heather Knight and Co registered a gritty win in their Women's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign opener. Catch the highlights and play-by-play updates from the BAN-W vs ENG-W match
England's opening Women's T20 World Cup fixture will commence at 7:30pm IST, with the toss scheduled for 7pm IST. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network in India, and will be live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app and website in India. The last time England women met Bangladesh was back in the 2018 T20 World Cup, with the English side winning the game comfortably.
England Women: Maia Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight(c), Amy Jones(w), Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, Linsey Smith, Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Gibson, Bess Heath.
Bangladesh Women: Shathi Rani, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Taj Nehar, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Disha Biswas, Sultana Khatun.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana lost the toss and was asked to field first by England skipper Heather Knight.
Bangladesh Women: Shathi Rani, Dilara Akter, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Taj Nehar, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter.
England Women: Maia Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight(c), Amy Jones(w), Danielle Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, Linsey Smith.
Nigar Sultana: We played well as a batting unit in the last game. It was a very emotional game (talking about the previous game) for me, we have been waiting for this (World Cup) for a long time. We look to play as a team and we know that we have that capability to win against any team.
Heather Knight: We have trained here and are watching the competition, so the girls are excited and well prepared. We got four spinners today. We have been preparing for a long today and you gotta be really smart in our approach.
Marufa Akter bowls the first over for Bangladesh. The right-arm pacer sends down a decent six balls, bringing the ball back in to the right-handed English opener Maia Bouchier. Only two balls are scored off, one of which is via leg byes. Bouchier's opening partner Danni Wyatt will now face the slow left-arm spin of Nahida Akter from the other end.
After a sedate first three overs, the English openers have opened up in the next two. Bouchier and Wyatt smash a collective 23 runs off the fourth and fifth overs to lift the run rate from around four an over, to above seven RPO. As no wickets have been lost either, the stage could soon be set for the power hitters to follow.
After turning on the heat in the powerplay, England have lost a couple of wickets in quick succession. Maia Bouchier miscues a flighted Rabeya Khan delivery to mid on in the seventh over, and new batter Nat Sciver-Brunt is trapped in front by Fahima Khatun the following over. The run rate has hence ebbed a bit, and at the halfway mark, England stand at 62 runs for the loss of two wickets.
The pitch seems to be getting slower and slower as the game wears on. Stroke-making is becoming challenging, which is pulling back the run rate and also fetching key wickets for Bangladesh. Captain Heather Knight is cleaned up by Ritu Moni in the 12th over, while Danni Wyatt-Hodge is stumped off Nahida Akter's bowling in the 13th. Incoming batter Alice Capsey is then caught at backward point off Fahima Khatun as England lose half their side.
This might be seeming like a mini-collapse, but with the conditions helpful for slow bowlers and England having four spinners in their ranks, the chase could be a really challenging one for Bangladesh.
The Bangla bowlers were threatening to limit England to a 100-odd, but a late surge by Sophie Ecclestone and others around her has taken Knight and Co to a 118-run total in Sharjah. Will that be enough against Bangladesh on a surface that is holding up and taking turn? We will find out soon enough. Stay with us for the Bangladesh chase, coming up shortly.
Though England have four spinners waiting to exploit the sluggish track, they opt for Nat Sciver-Brunt's seam-up option first up. And Bangladesh openers Dilara Akter and Shathi Rani accord her due respect, scoring just two off the bat, in addition to one wide. The next over is being bowled by slow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who is on a comeback trail.
The trouble Bangladesh were expected to face while batting has emerged, king size. The spinners have taken charge and not only strangled runs, but also prised out a couple of early wickets. Both openers, Rani and Akter, have been dismissed and the required run rate is climbed to over 7.5 RPO. Tough times ahead for Nigar Sultana's side, which must break the shackles at some point to entertain thoughts of victory.
The task is getting more and more improbable for the Bangladesh batters. Runs are down to a trickle, and the asking rate has mounted to more than 10 runs an over at the end of the 15th. Meanwhile, two more wickets have fallen in the form of captain Nigar Sultana, who was run out while seeking a tight second run, and Shorna Akter. Number three Sobhana Mostary is still at the crease, but with scoreboard pressure rising, will need to take some risks.
And that's that. The English stranglehold is complete as Bangladesh stutter and sputter to a 97-run total in 20 overs. Their chase of a seemingly gettable 119-run target never really took off, and in the end, they fall well short. Spinners Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean take two wickets apiece as England kickstart their campaign with a gritty 21-run victory.
England won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision eventually turned out to be right, as even though they struggled to force the pace and only got to 118 runs, the slow track made batting even more challenging in the second essay. Danni Wyatt-Hodge top-scored for the English side with 41 runs from 40 balls, while Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean picked up two wickets each while restricting Bangladesh to just 97 runs in response.
With that, England kick off their campaign with a hard-fought win, while Bangladesh now have one win and one loss from two games.