Key events
Drinks: England need 115 from 36 overs
14th over: England 64-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 30) After a quiet over from Nahida, who has come back on to replace Maghda, it’s time for drinks.
13th over: England 62-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 28) Another leggie, Fahima Khatun, comes into the attack. The required rate isn’t an issue so Knight and Sciver-Brunt are happy to wait for any bad balls and milk the occasional single.
Bangladesh need a wicket pretty soon, ideally Sciver-Brunt.
12th over: England 59-2 (Knight 12, Sciver-Brunt 26) Maghla is bowling a tight, accurate spell of left-arm spin, with England taking no risks at this stage. Four singles from the over.
11th over: England 55-2 (Knight 10, Sciver-Brunt 24) Rabeya Khan, whose breezy late-order hitting gave Bangladesh something to work with, comes on to bowl her legspin. Sciver-Brunt cuffs her first ball through the fielder at short extra and away for four, then skids back to guide another boundary past the diving midwicket.
Majestic batting from Sciver-Brunt, who has raced to 24 from 17 on an awkward pitch. The other England batters have maded 24 from 49 balls between them. And two of them are out.
10th over: England 45-2 (Knight 9, Sciver-Brunt 15) Knight and Sciver-Brunt radiate calm authority when they bat together, so Bangladesh need to break this partnership at their earliest convenience.
No risks from England in the final over of the Powerplay, just a couple of singles off Maghla.
9th over: England 43-2 (Knight 8, Sciver-Brunt 14) From nowhere, Marufa bowls a dreadful over that is punished fully by Nat Sciver-Brunt. It costs 12 runs, all in boundaries. A wide half-volley is crashed to the cover boundary, then successive full tosses are put away through mid-off and square leg.
8th over: England 31-2 (Knight 8, Sciver-Brunt 2) Another left-arm spinner, Sanjida Akter Meghla, concedes a single from her first over. Never mind that, it’s time for Marufa’s fifth over.
7th over: England 30-2 (Knight 8, Sciver-Brunt 1) Knight is beaten by the next ball, the last of another marvellous over. Marufa has figures of 4-0-16-2 – and Heather Knight has been given out twice off her bowling.
Knight is not out! England 30-2
Heather Knight is given out LBW after another beautiful inswinger from Marufa… but she was on the walk, unlike Beaumont and Jones, and the ball would have swung past leg stump. Only just, mind you. This is exhilarating stuff.
WICKET! England 29-2 (Beaumont LBW b Marufa 13)
She’s gone! Marufa didn’t even realise – some of her teammates were celebrating before she twigged that it had been given out. This particular dismissal – Beaumont trapped LBW pushing around an inswinger – was predicted by allcomers before the game.
Marufa has 2 for 15 and England are imperilled once more.
Bangladesh review for LBW against Beaumont
Marufa has been bowling for this throughout the innings. Looks close, height might be an issue.
6th over: England 26-1 (Beaumont 13, Knight 8) Beaumont glides Nahida skilfully wide of slip for four, then Knight gets a boundary of her own with a precise sweep round the corner. Good batting – not just the runs but the calm certainty with which they were scored.
5th over: England 17-1 (Beaumont 8, Knight 4) Knight gets well outside the line to negate another LBW appeal from Marufa. she’s beaten later in teh over, pushing tentatively behind her front pad. Another menacing over from Marufa, who England will be happy to see out of the attack.
4th over: England 15-1 (Beaumont 7, Knight 4) When Nahida overpitches, Beaumont gets her first boundary with a crisp square drive. Things have been calmer since that Knight review, though we’re only taking about an 11-ball spell so I’m not really sure what point I’m trying to make.
3rd over: England 10-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 4) Marufa has got her line spot on and is causing England serious problems with her consistent, extravagant inswing.
The moment I type that, she strays too far outside of off stump and is timed sweetly to the cover boundary. Lovely shot.
Review: Knight is not out!
Sheesh, that’s a let-off for England. Knight was given out caught behind after a perceived inside edge onto the pad and through to the keeper. My instinct is she didn’t hit it – but you can also argue that the evidence is not conclusive and therefore the on-field decision of out should have been upheld. Could have gone either way.
Knight given out first ball – but she reviews
This is chaos.
2nd over: England 6-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 0) Marufa has dropped Beaumont! What a chance to have England two down inside eight balls. It was a horribly mistimed stroke from Beaumont off the left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, which looped slowly towards mid-off. Marufa ran round from short extra and shelled a simple chance.
No wicket – but it is a maiden from Nahida, and already England are under pressure.
1st over: England 6-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 0) That was the last ball of an eventful nine-ball over.
WICKET! England 6-1 (Jones LBW b Marufa 1)
A mixed first over from Marufa includes three leg-side wides – but she shows her threat with a superb inswinger to Amy Jones, who would have been out for a golden duck but for a late inside-edge onto the pad.
Hang on, was there an inside-edge? There were two noises but repl- never mind all that, Jones has gone this time! She was hit plumb in front on the back leg by a beautiful full-length inswinger. Fantastic bowling!
Marufa Akter, a high-class inswing bowler who should trouble Tammy Beaumont in particular, will open the bowling.
Thanks Taha, hello everyone. It’s a story as old as time: England on the subcontinent, a batting team suffering slow, slow torture – except this time England were the ones doing the torturing. Their four spinners had outstanding combined figures of 37.4-7-116-9 – and they were even better before the No9 Rabeya Khan hit a coruscating 43 not out from 27 balls.
Rabeya’s innings changed the mood and has given Bangladesh’s spinners something to work with. England are strong favourites; they are also England, playing on a slow turner in Asia, so we should take nothing for granted.
What do we reckon? Bangladesh in with a chance if Marufa Akter quickly nabs the openers? Rob Smyth will have the answers as he guides you through the chase. Here’s hoping we get a thriller.
A strange, strange innings by Bangladesh. They crawled through much of it, with Sobhana Mostary top-scoring with 60 off 108 deliveries. But Rabeya Khan, down at No 9, played unlike the rest, bringing out the sweep to hurt the flow of England’s spinners, finishing unbeaten on 43 off just 27 balls, her strike rate of 159 a wild anomaly. England’s spinners had a pretty great time, all in the act and combining for nine of the wickets.
Bangladesh set England target of 179 from 50 overs
What a shot! Rabeya Khan has her teammates jubilant as she wallops Smith over deep midwicket for six. She then uses her feet well to set up a sweep to the boundary. She takes a single off the next ball, which is probably the wrong call – keep yourself on strike, Rabeya! And there’s the wicket: Maghla chips to mid-on to close the innings.
WICKET! Maghla c Sciver-Brunt b Smith 1 (Bangladesh 178 all out)
49th over: Bangladesh 167-9 (Maghla 1, Rabeya 32) This might be the best stroke of the evening, with Rabeya sweeping Capsey towards the fine-leg rope. England opt to review a leg-before call against Maghla, but there’s an inside-edge that keeps the No 11 going.
48th over: Bangladesh 162-9 (Rabeya 27, Maghla 1) Rabeya continues to defy her position in the batting lineup, sweeping to keep the strike for the next over.
WICKET! Marufa c Bell b Capsey 0 (Bangladesh 157-9)
Oh, that’s a brilliant catch by Lauren Bell! Marufa Akter tries to launch Capsey over mid-off but the tall fast bowler tumbles back and holds on for a one-hander.
47th over: Bangladesh 157-9 (Rabeya 23, Maghla 0)
WICKET! Mostary lbw Capsey 60 (Bangladesh 156-8)
Our first review of the night: England go upstairs because they think Capsey’s trapped Mostary in front. There’s no bat on it as she plays across the line … and it’s three reds. A good call by Sciver-Brunt as the half-centurion departs.
46th over: Bangladesh 153-7 (Mostary 59, Rabeya 22) Rabeya punishes a full toss by Linsey Smith, blasting it down the ground for four. The right-hander edges one behind to the ropes but deserves the luck – this is a fine cameo by Bangladesh’s No 9.
45th over: Bangladesh 145-7 (Mostary 59, Rabeya 14) Rabeya has brought some much-needed energy to this batting display, running two twos and keeping the strike for the next over. Ecclestone’s work is complete: 10 overs, three maidens, 24 runs, three wickets.
44th over: Bangladesh 140-7 (Mostary 59, Rabeya 9) How about that? Rabeya Khan sweeps her first ball for four, off Capsey, a shot that has barely been seen tonight. And then another moments later – taken outside off stump and sent to the deep midwicket boundary.
WICKET! Nahida c Dean b Ecclestone 1 (Bangladesh 130-7)
Ecclestone’s bounce nearly gets Mostary in trouble when she cuts, but the ball drops before reaching Beaumont at point. Nonetheless, Nahida departs from the last ball of the over, chipping to short extra cover for Ecclestone’s third.
43rd over: Bangladesh 130-7 (Mostary 58, Rabeya 0)
42nd over: Bangladesh 126-6 (Mostary 56, Nahida 0) Mostary wants to get a move on, thumping Capsey down the ground for four and cutting hard for a single to keep the strike for the next over.
41st over: Bangladesh 121-6 (Mostary 51, Nahida 0) Ecclestone has two overs to come and has the opportunity to become England’s third highest wicket-taker outright in women’s ODIs – she’s just gone level with Laura Marsh on 129.
WICKET! Fahima b Ecclestone 7 (Bangladesh 121-6)
Fahima departs to the masterly Ecclestone, who sneaks the ball past the batter’s attempted whip across the line. The stumps light up and the left-armer has her sights on the tail.
40th over: Bangladesh 121-5 (Mostary 51, Fahima 7) Capsey is knocked away for three singles – Fahima tries to go big but can’t find the middle of the bat. She’s on seven off 23 deliveries.
39th over: Bangladesh 118-5 (Mostary 50, Fahima 5) Tash Farrant, on commentary, laments a lack of footwork from the Bangladesh batters against England’s spinners – they haven’t really got the sweep out either.
Half-century for Sobhana Mostary
38th over: Bangladesh 117-5 (Mostary 50, Fahima 4) There it is: Mostary dabs the ball into the off side off Dean to reach 50 for the first time in international cricket. She gets there off 92 deliveries, a special moment for the 23-year-old who walked out at 25 for two.
37th over: Bangladesh 115-5 (Mostary 49, Fahima 3) Bell is in bumper mode against Fahima but gets a bit carried away with one that flies high for a wide. That’s the only run off the over, with Mostary still waiting to raise her bat.
36th over: Bangladesh 114-5 (Mostary 49, Fahima 3) Amy Jones’ superb display behind the stumps is hurt by a drop: Dean slides the ball on from around the wicket to catch the outside edge of Mostary, but Jones can’t hold on this time round.
35th over: Bangladesh 114-5 ( Mostary 49, Fahima 3) Bell goes short against Fahima, and the ball lobs up in the air … but falls safely on the leg side.
34th over: Bangladesh 109-5 (Mostary 47, Fahima 1) Fahima Khatun gets her account going with a single – the good news for Bangladesh is that Mostary remains, closing in on her first international half-century.
WICKET! Ritu c Smith b Dean 5 (Bangladesh 108-5)
Here it is: Dean returns, tosses it up and Ritu tries to send the ball over deep midwicket – she ends up picking out Smith to end a difficult 36-ball knock.
33rd over: Bangladesh 108-4 (Mostary 47, Ritu 5) Bell continues the dot-ball churn, just a couple of singles off the over. When’s that wicket going to come?
32nd over: Bangladesh 106-4 (Ritu 4, Mostary 46) Bangladesh are 52-1 off nine overs against pace in this innings – the slower stuff continues to be a problem for them as Capsey concedes three. Curiously, Sciver-Brunt has now called for Lauren Bell …
31st over: Bangladesh 103-4 (Mostary 45, Ritu 2) Out of nowhere, a cracking stroke. Mostary smacks a Sciver-Brunt off-cutter through the covers for four. An outside edge – with a degree of control – follows to make it back-to-back boundaries.
30th over: Bangladesh 92-4 (Mostary 36, Ritu 1) Capsey nearly takes a return catch off Ritu, but the leading edge doesn’t carry. Bangladesh have hit just 16 runs across the last 10 overs – it’s not been a great watch.
29th over: Bangladesh 92-4 (Mostary 36, Ritu 1) Ritu, off her 18th delivery, has that richly treasured run. This game has completely dried up, though, with the camera routinely focused on Joty, the Bangladesh captain, presumably wondering how her side are going to get themselves going here.
28th over: Bangladesh 90-4 (Mostary 35, Ritu 0) Sciver-Brunt gives Alice Capsey the ball for a twirl – her tossed-up off-breaks skid on to concede just one, off the final ball of the over. Ritu Moni is yet to get off the mark after 16 deliveries.
27th over: Bangladesh 89-4 (Mostary 34, Ritu 0) Sciver-Brunt returns, which is probably a welcome change for Bangladesh, who have had little joy against spin. But a tickle down the leg-side is the only run conceded off the England captain.
26th over: Bangladesh 88-4 (Mostary 33, Ritu 0) Another maiden, this time from Smith: Bangladesh aren’t going anywhere at the moment.
25th over: Bangladesh 88-4 (Mostary 33, Ritu 0) Dean is now settled while going around the wicket and six dots follow. Some kids in the crowd show off their moves to this absolute Noughties tune:
24th over: Bangladesh 88-4 (Mostary 33, Ritu 0) Smith is wheeling through her overs in a rush. Six overs gone, she’s conceded just nine to go with a wicket.
23rd over: Bangladesh 87-4 (Mostary 32, Ritu 0) Dean hasn’t been in complete control here – she drops short outside leg to Mostary, who swings away for a single. But the offie has her first wicket and England remain comfortable.
WICKET! Shorna c Jones b Dean 10 (Bangladesh 85-4)
Shorna tries to sweep Dean again … but this time there’s a faint edge, with Jones immaculate behind the stumps. Another promising stand for Bangladesh is broken.
