By Parth Dhall | Oct 07, 2025 | 09:51 PM
**England Prevail Against Bangladesh Despite Middle-Order Collapse
ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati**
In a thrilling encounter at the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, England managed to chase down a modest target of 179 to defeat Bangladesh at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The match saw a dramatic middle-order collapse for England, but captain Heather Knight’s unbeaten 79 ensured victory after England were precariously placed at 78/5.
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### Bangladesh Falter After Poor Start
Bangladesh’s innings struggled to gain momentum once England elected to bowl first. England bowlers Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith made early breakthroughs, reducing Bangladesh to 25/2. Although Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary briefly stabilized the innings at 31/2 after the powerplay, wickets kept tumbling. Akhter, who scored 30, soon departed, and Bangladesh slid further to 85/4 in the 22nd over.
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### Middle Overs: Mostary and Rabeya Power Bangladesh
After the dismissal of Shorna Akter, Bangladesh’s scoring rate dipped significantly as Ritu Moni and Mostary kept the scoreboard ticking cautiously. Moni fell in the 34th over with the team at 108/5. Despite this, Mostary continued to hold her ground while Fahima Khatun showed resistance before getting out. Mostary then found solid support in Rabeya Khan, who contributed an unbeaten 43 from 27 balls, pushing Bangladesh’s total past 150.
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### Mostary Shines with Maiden WODI Fifty
Sobhana Mostary’s innings was a highlight for Bangladesh as she scored her maiden half-century in WODI cricket, making 60 runs off 108 balls, including 8 fours. She was eventually dismissed by Alice Capsey in the 47th over. Since her WODI debut in 2018, Mostary has played 25 matches (21 innings), amassing 325 runs at an average of 21.66 with a strike rate of 61.55.
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### England Struggle at 78/5
Bangladesh started their bowling well, with Marufa Akter making crucial inroads into the England batting lineup. She dismissed Amy Jones (1) and Tammy Beaumont (2), reducing England to 29/2 early on. Although Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight put together a vital 40-run partnership, the pressure resumed after Fahima Khatun struck twice in quick succession, removing Sciver-Brunt (32) and Sophie Dunkley (0), leaving England in trouble at 78/5.
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### Knight’s Match-Winning Knock
Captain Heather Knight stood firm under pressure and formed a crucial partnership with Charlotte Dean, who remained unbeaten on 27. Knight finished unbeaten on 79 runs off 111 balls, striking 8 fours and a six to steer England to victory.
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### Milestone: Knight Joins England’s Top WODI Run-Scorers
During the match, Heather Knight surpassed Claire Taylor’s tally of 4,101 runs, moving up to fourth place on England’s all-time WODI run-scorers list. She trails only Charlotte Edwards (5,992), Tammy Beaumont (4,562), and Nat Sciver-Brunt (4,124).
Knight has accumulated 4,116 runs in 151 WODIs at an average of 35.79, including two centuries and 27 half-centuries. This innings marked Knight’s fourth half-century in the WODI World Cup.
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### England Bowlers Shine
England’s spinners dominated the game, led by Sophie Ecclestone, who recorded impressive figures of 3/24 in her 10 overs, including three maidens. Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, and Alice Capsey each contributed with two wickets apiece.
For Bangladesh, Fahima Khatun was the star bowler, returning exceptional figures of 3/16 in 10 overs with two maidens. Marufa Akter also impressed by taking two wickets.
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**Summary:**
Despite early struggles with the bat, Heather Knight’s resilience and a strong spin bowling performance ensured England’s victory over Bangladesh in a closely fought contest at the Women’s ODI World Cup.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/women-s-wc-2025-england-beat-bangladesh/story
