By Parth Dhall | Oct 07, 2025 | 09:51 pm
**England Triumph Despite Middle-Order Collapse Against Bangladesh in ICC Women’s ODI World Cup**
Despite a middle-order collapse, England emerged victorious against Bangladesh in their 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup encounter at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. Chasing a seemingly modest target of 179, England’s Heather Knight was the standout performer, guiding her side to victory with an unbeaten 79 after England had slipped to 78/5.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings was bolstered by Sobhana Mostary’s resilient 60, which rescued her team from an early collapse.
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### Bangladesh Falter After Poor Start
Bangladesh struggled to build momentum after England chose to bowl first. Early strikes from Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith rattled the Bangladesh top order, reducing them to 25/2. Although Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary briefly stabilized the innings at 31/2 following the first powerplay, wickets continued to fall regularly. Akhter departed soon after, after contributing 30 runs. By the 22nd over, Bangladesh had slumped to 85/4.
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### Middle Overs: Mostary and Rabeya Steer Bangladesh
Following the dismissal of Shorna Akter, Bangladesh’s scoring rate slowed considerably. Ritu Moni and Mostary struggled to find scoring opportunities, with Moni eventually getting out in the 34th over, leaving Bangladesh at 108/5. Despite this, Mostary held firm while Fahima Khatun showed some resistance before departing.
The innings received a boost from Rabeya Khan, whose brisk 43* off 27 balls helped propel Bangladesh past the 150-run mark.
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### Mostary Shines with Maiden WODI Half-Century
Mostary was finally dismissed by Alice Capsey in the 47th over, after an impressive 108-ball innings scoring 60 runs, including 8 fours. This marked her maiden half-century in WODI cricket. Since making her 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’s Struggle at 78/5
Bangladesh started their bowling campaign strongly. Marufa Akter made early inroads into England’s batting, dismissing Amy Jones (1) and Tammy Beaumont (2), leaving England at 29/2. Despite these setbacks, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight steadied the innings with a crucial 40-run partnership. However, two quick wickets from Fahima Khatun, including Sciver-Brunt (32) and Sophie Dunkley (0), left England reeling at 78/5.
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### Knight’s Match-Winning Knock
Heather Knight held her ground under pressure and forged a vital partnership with Charlotte Dean (27*), steering England to a memorable win. Knight remained unbeaten on 79 runs off 111 balls, striking 8 fours and a six.
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### Knight Enters England’s WODI Top Four Run-Scorers
During this match, Knight surpassed Claire Taylor’s run tally of 4,101, moving up to become the fourth-highest run-scorer for England in WODIs. She trails only Charlotte Edwards (5,992), Tammy Beaumont (4,562), and Sciver-Brunt (4,124).
In her 151 WODI matches, Knight has accumulated 4,116 runs at an average of 35.79, including two centuries and 27 half-centuries. This innings marked her fourth half-century in the WODI World Cup.
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### England’s Bowlers Impress
England’s spin bowlers were exceptional, with Sophie Ecclestone leading the attack, returning impressive figures of 3/24 in 10 overs, including three maidens. Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, and Alice Capsey shared the spoils, taking two wickets each.
On the Bangladesh side, Fahima Khatun starred with remarkable bowling figures of 3/16 in 10 overs, including two maidens. Marufa Akter also contributed early breakthroughs, taking two wickets.
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England’s resilience in the face of adversity, combined with excellent bowling and Heather Knight’s masterful innings, secured a hard-fought victory over Bangladesh in this thrilling World Cup contest.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/women-s-wc-2025-england-beat-bangladesh/story
