England women defeated a spirited Bangladesh women side by four wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, October 7, to move to the top of the Women’s World Cup 2025 standings. After winning the toss, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt chose to bowl first, and her bowlers made early breakthroughs to put Bangladesh under some pressure. Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith took the wickets of Rubya Haider and Nigar Sultana within the powerplay, however, Sobhana Mostary and Sharmin Akhter built a steady partnership of 34 runs, rebuilding the innings.

Mostary led the innings for Bangladesh, finishing on a mature 60 runs off 108 balls, while Rabeya Khan gave a burst at the end with 43 runs off 27 balls. As a result of those innings, Bangladesh only managed to score 178 runs in 49.4 overs, where Sophie Ecclestone took the three wickets for England while Charlie Dean, Alice Capsey, and Linsey Smith chipped in with two wickets each to restrict Bangladesh to a below par score.

In reply, England started shakily, losing Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont early to Marufa Akter’s clever in-swingers. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight steadied the innings with a 40-run stand, but further wickets kept England under pressure at 103/6 in the 30th over. Knight and Dean then forged a crucial 79-run partnership to guide England to a four-wicket win with 23 balls to spare. Below are the main reasons for the Bangladesh women defeat:

1. Slow Scoring and Batting Collapse

Bangladesh had difficulty finding runs against disciplined bowling from the England attack. Sobhana Mostary held one end but had very little support from her teammates. Wickets fell at regular times, and the pressure of slow scoring added to the pressure. This prevented Bangladesh from putting up a competitive total on the board.

2. England’s Spin Bowling

England’s spinners were excellent throughout the match. Sophie Ecclestone provided 3 wickets for 24 runs, with important wickets also coming from Charlie Dean, Linsey Smith and Alice Capsey. The spinners all bowled with great control, which created pressure on Bangladesh to be able to play their normal game and score runs.

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3. Heather Knight’s Calm Innings

Captain Heather Knight was the key difference in the chase. she stayed calm under pressure, Knight built key partnerships after a few early wickets and calmly took England safely over the line with a knock of 76, a demonstration of her experience in difficult situations.