Guwahati, Oct 7 – England Women kept their lead in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 after a grinding but decisive win over Bangladesh at the Baraspara Stadium. The hosts held a 178‑run target with a four‑wicket finish, giving England two victories in two matches and a points‑table top spot with four points, tied with India but ahead on net run rate.
Captain‑bat‑bowler Nat Sciver‑Brunt praised the team’s grit. “We did what we needed to cross the line,” she said. “We all agreed early on we had to stay resilient. It wasn’t the cleanest game, but we’re thrilled with how the side came through.” The northern seamers made a strong start, while England’s spin quartet—Sophie Ecclestone (3‑24), Charlie Dean (2‑28), Alice Capsey (2‑31), and Linsey Smith (2‑33)—kept Bangladesh from recovering after a valuable half‑century from Sobhana Mostary.
England’s top order struggled early, losing two wickets in the first innings, but former skipper Heather Knight steadied things with an unbeaten 79 off 111 balls. Her partnership with Sciver‑Brunt added 40 runs, and a fourth‑wicket stand with Dean helped seal the win. Dunkley and Lamb fell quickly, but Knight’s calm presence and a victory‑boosting 27‑not‑out from Dean extinguished the danger in the 47th over.
Bangladesh’s answer was Mostary’s 60 off 108 balls, the only real threat, and a late 43‑not‑out cameo from Rabeya Khan, which pushed the score to 178 before the final over collapsed. Captain Nigar Sultana commended her players’ fight: “They pushed until the last ball. We lost wickets early, but Sobhana did a good knock, and Rabeya finished well. We fell 20‑30 runs short on this surface.”
With the win, England, now top of the group, will next face Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday. Bangladesh will regroup before a match with New Zealand in Guwahati on Friday.
Source: ianslive
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