Women’s World Cup 2025: England beat Bangladesh despite batting collapse
By Parth Dhall | Oct 07, 2025 | 09:51 pm
**England Triumph Over Bangladesh in Thrilling ICC Women’s ODI World Cup Encounter at Guwahati**
Despite a middle-order collapse, England emerged victorious against Bangladesh in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match held at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. Chasing a modest target of 179, England were in trouble at 78/5 but Heather Knight’s unbeaten 79 guided them to a memorable win.
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### Bangladesh’s Early Struggles
Opting to field first, England made early breakthroughs with Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith dismantling Bangladesh’s top order, reducing them to 25/2. Although Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary managed to stabilize the innings briefly at 31/2 after the first powerplay, wickets kept tumbling soon after. Akhter was dismissed for 30, and Bangladesh soon found themselves struggling at 85/4 in the 22nd over.
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### Middle Overs Resistance from Mostary and Rabeya
After the dismissal of Shorna Akter, Bangladesh’s scoring rate slowed significantly as Ritu Moni and Mostary faced tight bowling pressure. Moni fell in the 34th over, leaving Bangladesh at 108/5. Mostary, however, held her ground while getting crucial support from Rabeya Khan, who scored a quickfire 43* off just 27 balls. Their partnership pushed Bangladesh past the 150-run mark and added valuable runs late in the innings.
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### Mostary Shines with Maiden WODI Fifty
Sobhana Mostary was finally dismissed in the 47th over by Alice Capsey, ending her innings at 60 runs off 108 balls, which included 8 boundaries. This marked Mostary’s maiden half-century in WODI cricket since her debut in 2018. Over 25 matches (21 innings), she has accumulated 325 runs at an average of 21.66 with a strike rate of 61.55.
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### England’s Rocky Start at 78/5
Bangladesh started strongly with Marufa Akter causing early damage to England’s batting line-up by removing Amy Jones (1) and Tammy Beaumont (2), reducing the visitors to 29/2. England attempted to regroup through a crucial 40-run partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight. However, quick wickets from Fahima Khatun saw Sciver-Brunt (32) and Sophie Dunkley (0) fall in quick succession, leaving England reeling at 78/5.
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### Knight’s Match-Winning Knock
In the face of adversity, Heather Knight stood firm and forged an essential partnership with Charlotte Dean, who remained unbeaten on 27. Knight’s measured and confident innings of 79* runs off 111 balls, including 8 fours and a six, ultimately steered England over the line.
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### Knight Climbs Up England’s All-Time WODI Run-Scorers Chart
During this 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. Knight now trails only Charlotte Edwards (5,992 runs), Tammy Beaumont (4,562 runs), and Nat Sciver-Brunt (4,124 runs). In 151 WODIs, Knight boasts 4,116 runs at an average of 35.79, including two centuries and 27 half-centuries. This innings also marked her fourth half-century in Women’s ODI World Cup history.
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### England’s Bowling Performance
England’s spinners were instrumental in restricting Bangladesh, with Sophie Ecclestone leading the charge. Ecclestone delivered a brilliant spell of 3 wickets for 24 runs in her 10 overs, including three maiden overs. Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, and Alice Capsey contributed two wickets each to tighten the screws.
On the Bangladesh side, Fahima Khatun impressed with bowling figures of 3 for 16 in 10 overs, including two maidens. Marufa Akter also made an impact by taking two key wickets.
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England’s fighting spirit and timely contributions from Heather Knight ensured they overcame setbacks and secured an important victory in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
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