England beat Bangladesh by four wickets: Women’s Cricket World Cup – as it happened

Raf Nicholson’s report

Related: Knight rescues England as Bangladesh seethe after three reviews go her way

England dodged a major upset thanks to the experience and expertise of Heather Knight. After a dreadful start to the innings – she was given out on 0 and 8, then survived a third-umpire review for what looked a clean catch on 13 – she quietly played herself into form while England were losing wickets at the other end.

When Alice Capsey fell to leave england 103 for 6 and in all sorts, Knight took control and saw England home with intelligent support from Charlie Dean.

46th over: England 178-6 (Knight 79, Dean 23) Knight on strike, one to win, one ball remaining in the over – but she can’t manage it so Charlie Dean will have the chance to hit the winning runs.

45th over: England 173-6 (Knight 76, Dean 21) A rare moment of fortune for Knight, at least in the second half of her innings. She charges Rabeya, hacks across the line and inside-edges the ball past the keeper for four.

After a major scare, England are almost home safe.

44th over: England 163-6 (Knight 67, Dean 20) Dean plays out a maiden off the dangerous Fahima, who ends a memorable but probably futile spell with figures of 10-2-16-3. If Bangladesh had their time again they would probably bowl her straight through when she was all over England, but at the time it made sense to save a few of her overs.

43rd over: England 163-6 (Knight 67, Dean 20) Knight reverse sweeps Nahida sweetly for four to move England closer to victory.

If Bangladesh lose, they will be furious that Knight was given not out on 13 when she was caught low to the ground by Shorna Akter. The third umpire decided there wasn’t conclusive evidence of a clean catch.

42nd over: England 155-6 (Knight 61, Dean 18) Fahima returns to the attack with 26 runs needed. Dean shapes to cut a full ball, then thinks better of it – but that’s the only false stroke in the over and now Fahima has just one over remaining.

41st over: England 153-6 (Knight 60, Dean 17) Knight sweeps Shorna firmly and decisively over the square-leg umpire for four. The second half of this innings has been a mini-masterclass under extreme pressure.

Dean, who has played a perfect supporting role, works a single to bring up the fifty partnership from 68 balls. Dean’s management of risk has been exemplary.

40th over: England 147-6 (Knight 55, Dean 16) Marufa Akter is unlikely to return to the field according to Nasser Hussain on commentary. Bangladesh surely have to use Fahima Khatun’s last two overs sooner rather than later.

Ritu Moni’s second over is perfectly accurate, with everything fullish on the stumps, but there’s no real menace and Dean is happy enough to play out a maiden.

39th over: England 147-6 (Knight 55, Dean 16) Apart from one six off Rabeya, Knight played a supporting role until the dismissal of Alice Capsey left England six down. At that stage she was 27 not out from 67 balls; since then she’s scored 28 from 25. The value of experience, eh.

38th over: England 143-6 (Knight 53, Dean 14) Bangladesh turn to their seventh bowler, the medium-pacer Ritu Moni, who hurries through an uneventful over of wicket-to-wicket hustle.

England need 36 from 72 balls.

36th over: England 137-6 (Knight 49, Dean 12) Knight is picking – and executing – her attacking shots so well. She runs down to the track to blast Maghla over her head for four, a carbon copy of the shot she played off the same bowler four overs ago.

Not for the first time tonight, Bangladesh really need a wicket.

35th over: England 130-6 (Knight 43, Dean 11) Knight lifts Rabeya over mid-on for two, an ultimately safe shot in a decent over for England. The target is down to 49 from 90 balls.

34th over: England 124-6 (Knight 40, Dean 8) Nigar Sultana decides it’s time to play her trump card, Fahima Khatun. Dean gets in a tangle with a spitting legbreak that hits her on the back leg; too high for an LBW appeal but beautifully bowled.

Just a single from the over. Fahima’s figures are exceptional, 8-1-14-3, but that means she only has 12 balls to bowl.

33rd over: England 123-6 (Knight 40, Dean 7) Dean slaps a long hop from Nahida to the cover boundary. The win predictor barely know what day it is, never mind who’s going to emerge victorious.

I forgot to mention that Marufa Akter, whose new-ball spell put England in trouble, has been off the field for a while, possibly with cramp. That might be a blessing in disguise. As well as she bowled at the start, some of England’s batters might prefer pace on the ball at this stage.

32nd over: England 117-6 (Knight 39, Dean 2) Knight skips down the pitch to whack Maghla back over her head for four. That’s a brilliant shot from Knight, who has quietly played herself into form during this innings.

At one stage Knight had 16 from 53 balls and had been given out two or three times; since then she’s hit 23 from 23 balls with barely a false stroke.

31st over: England 112-6 (Knight 34, Dean 2) Shorna’s first poor ball is swept round the corner for four by Knight, with three singles completing a decent over for England. Sixty-seven to win from 114 balls.

30th over: England 105-6 (Knight 28, Dean 1) England need their spinners to win the match – with the bat.

Yep, it was plumb LBW. Capsey was hit on the back leg by a wonderful delivery from Maghla, the left-arm spinner; it curved in from round the wicket, quite wide on the crease, before straightening sharply to beat Capsey’s work to leg and pin her LBW.

29th over: England 102-5 (Knight 26, Capsey 20) A good over from Shorna, who hasn’t shown any sign of nerves despite being an 18-year-old bowling at a crucial stage of a vital World Cup match.

28th over: England 100-5 (Knight 25, Capsey 19) Maghla replaces Fahima, who has three overs left to bowl, and almost strikes when Capsey mistimes a lofted shot that lands short of mid-off.

A single down the ground brings up the England hundred. They need 79 from 132 balls.

27th over: England 98-5 (Knight 24, Capsey 18) Time for another legspinner, the teenager Shorna Akter. Capsey slices her first ball deliberately for four, beating the fielder at short third. Shorna responds with a beauty that rips past the edge.

26th over: England 92-5 (Knight 23, Capsey 13) Fahima has changed ends, which is interesting given she bowled a spell of 6-1-12-3 at the other end. Capsey shows plenty of respect, taking just a single off the final delivery.

25th over: England 91-5 (Knight 23, Capsey 12) Capsey cuts Rabeya expertly to the cover boundary, which prompts an arm-waving row between the captain Nigar Sultana and one of her team, presumably the bowler Rabeya.

Capsey’s attacking approach makes her dangerous in a low-scoring game. But Bangladesh know that if they get her out soon, they’re into the bowlers with England still needing plenty.

At the halfway point, England need 88 runs with five wickets remaining.

24th over: England 86-5 (Knight 23, Capsey 7) Knight is playing with greater assurance now; it’s 10 overs since she was last given out, for goodness sake. England need her to be there at the end, ideally with another not-out batter. This looks increasingly certain to go to the wire.

23rd over: England 83-5 (Knight 22, Capsey 5) Alice Capsey gets off the mark with a very controlled boundary, driven through extra cover off the back foot. I don’t think she’ll try to win this game by hanging about until the 50th over.

Lamb is out! Yep, that’s the correct decision, and it was a bit of a surprise to everybody that the catch was being checked because Nahida took the ball at chest height.

That check briefly overshadowed what was a desperately ill-conceived from Lamb.

Lamb is asked to wait by the boundary while they check the catch. Nahida took the ball cleanly before falling over, and the third umpire wants to check whether she brushed the ball against the ground when she landed. It looks a clean catch to me, although there is a degree of doubt so I wouldn’t put the farm on this being given out.

22nd over: England 78-4 (Knight 22, Lamb 1) Heather Knight is clearly reading the OBO out in the middle. She targets Rabeya, skipping down to chip elegantly over mid-on for six. That’s Knight’s first boundary in 16 overs and England’s first in 11.

The non-striker Lamb survives a precautionary run-out referral when the bowler Rabeya deflects the ball onto the stumps.

21st over: England 72-4 (Knight 16, Lamb 1) Knight’s experience makes her the key player now, even though her bat has no middle at the moment and she’s already been given out two or three times.

A single and a wide from Fahima’s fifth over. It’s an odd thing to say with the required rate at 3.68 per over, but England may need to start thinking about targetting certain bowlers. Fahima is not one of them.

20th over: England 70-4 (Knight 15, Lamb 1) Bangladesh are using legspin from both ends through Rabeya and Fahima. Lamb is beaten, trying to cut Rabeya, and can’t pierce the infield during another maiden over.

England are going nowhere, and they’re not even doing it fast: the last nine overs have yielded 15 runs and two wickets.

“Hmm, cricket is many many streets ahead of another sport I could mention in its use of technology for decision making, but the low catch thing has been the grit in the oyster for so long,” says Tom Hopkins. “I feel like I’ve been aware of ‘the foreshortening effect’ for longer than I care to remember and yet we persist with using TV replays that we know can be misleading. Surely with any technology in any walk of life you need to properly understand its limitations and work within them. Wishful thinking serves no-one.”

19th over: England 70-4 (Knight 15, Lamb 1) Good thing England picked seven batters. Next in is Emma Lamb, who works her first ball past slip for a single.

Fahima’s figures are quite something: 4-1-5-2.

Dunkley is out! It was hitting leg stump, umpire’s call, so the on-field decision was crucial. England are in big trouble now. And Bangladesh are sniffing an historic achievement: their first victory over England in any format. I think it’s only the sixth game between the sides – four T20s and one ODI – but this would be seismic stuff.

18th over: England 69-2 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 32) A quiet over from Rabeya makes it 14 runs from from the last seven overs. This is an interesting period in the game.

17th over: England 67-2 (Knight 14, Sciver-Brunt 31) Fahima is bowling around 42mph, getting some nice flight, and so far England haven’t worked how to score off her. Don’t believe me, just look at her bowling figures: 3-0-4-0.

Since her last boundary, Sciver-Brunt has scored 7 from 21 balls. Nothing for England to worry about yet – but if she goes, things could get very tricky.

16th over: England 66-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 31) Sciver-Brunt has settled down after that early flurry of boundaries. She needs to hang around because Knight can’t get going at all; she’s the subject of a strangled LBW shout after being hit outside the line by Nahida.

Knight has 13 from 42 balls, Sciver-Brunt 31 from 34.

15th over: England 64-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 30) Apparently Sophia Dunkley, the next woman in, was already on her way to the middle while that catch was being checked. The replays were inconclusive but I suspect 98 per cent of former cricketers would have given that out.

WICKET? England 64-3 (Knight c Shorna b Fahima 13)

Heather Knight falls straight after the drinks break! She drove a flighted legbreak from Fahima towards shorrt extra, where Shorna Akter took an excellent low catch.

Or so it seemed. The catch is now being checked by the third umpire.

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 Maghla, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

22nd over: Bangladesh 85-3 (Mostary 31, Shorna 10) Linsey Smith returns to give Ecclestone a breather, and Shorna does look like she wants to give it a proper whack. It nearly gets her in trouble when she throws the bat outside off and nearly chops on to the stumps.

21st over: Bangladesh 83-3 (Mostary 30, Shorna 9) Shorna Akter goes on the attack against Dean, sweeping hard to deep midwicket for four – risks are required from this end if Ecclestone is allowed to settle from the other.

20th over: Bangladesh 76-3 (Mostary 29, Shorna 3) Can these two do anything to disrupt Ecclestone, who is at ease ripping the ball down the wicket? A single is the only damage off the over.

19th over: Bangladesh 75-3 (Mostary 28, Shorna 3) Sciver-Brunt and her teammates are all smiles and laughs, just having a really great time out there. Dean opts for a change in approach, going around the wicket, but the batting pair do a decent job with rotating the strike, taking six off the over.

18th over: Bangladesh 69-3 (Mostary 26, Shorna 1) Tammy Beaumont is loving life at silly mid-off, throwing various shapes and applauding away as Ecclestone launches her grenades. A couple of leg-side wides hurt Ecclestone’s flow but Beaumont is diving to her right not long after, a leading edge beating her rather ambitious effort.

17th over: Bangladesh 66-3 (Mostary 26, Shorna 1) Dean is a touch too straight but when she gets it right, adjusting her line to tempt the drive, there’s no slip in place – Mostary’s outside edge runs to the boundary.

16th over: Bangladesh 59-3 (Mostary 20, Shorna 0) Ecclestone has a wicket maiden and Bangladesh must go again after the end of that 34-run stand.

15th over: Bangladesh 59-2 (Mostary 20, Supta 30) Dean changes her pace up nicely, following the darts with a tossed-up tempter outside off. Mostary and Supta are settling in, though, building a decent stand and refusing to do anything silly.

14th over: Bangladesh 56-2 (Mostary 19, Supta 29) Ecclestone’s fizz nearly gets Mostary to inside-edge on to her stumps, but the next ball is too short and Supta rocks back for four. A loopy turner outside off closes the over.

13th over: Bangladesh 51-2 (Mostary 18, Supta 25) Sciver-Brunt takes herself off and brings on Charlie Dean. The offie’s only misstep in her over is a wide down the leg side, with her last ball nearly taking Supta’s outside edge.

12th over: Bangladesh 50-2 (Mostary 18, Supta 25) Tammy Beaumont gets the lid on and advances to silly mid-off for Ecclestone’s second over … and Beaumont is in the game immediately, diving to her left but still out of reach. Mostary is looking in very decent nick here, driving Ecclestone through point for four. And just after I type that … she nearly chops on to her stumps.

11th over: Bangladesh 45-2 (Mostary 14, Supta 24) Bangladesh can breathe a little easier – Sciver-Brunt is punished for three boundaries, with Mostary hooking and cutting nicely for two of them.

10th over: Bangladesh 31-2 (Mostary 6, Supta 19) Here’s Sophie Ecclestone to give it a rip … and her fourth delivery is a beaut. It pitches on off and grips past Mostary’s outside edge. It’s a classy first over from Ecclestone, conceding nil. Bangladesh have hit 10 runs off the last seven overs.

9th over: Bangladesh 31-2 (Mostary 6, Supta 19) Nat Sciver-Brunt brings herself on and Mostary punches through the covers to bring Bangladesh a much-needed boundary.

8th over: Bangladesh 26-2 (Mostary 1, Supta 19) Mostary clips for one as Smith loses her line, but that’s the only damage off the over. Supta has 19 but, with four boundaries, has struggled to rotate the strike.

7th over: Bangladesh 25-2 (Mostary 0, Supta 19) Bell gets away with a maiden, her final ball a wide long-hop that is cut straight to point by Supta.

6th over: Bangladesh 25-2 (Mostary 0, Supta 19) Smith has figures of one for five after three overs as Sobhana Mostary, who hit an unbeaten 24 in the win over Pakistan, knuckles down.

5th over: Bangladesh 24-1 (Joty 0, Supta 18) Nigar Sultana Joty, captain and wicketkeeper, emerges for Bangladesh.

4th over: Bangladesh 23-0 (Jhelik 4, Supta 17) Smith gets a closer look at Jhelik, who hasn’t had much of the strike. The left-armer sends down another over with little drama, conceding a couple.

3rd over: Bangladesh 21-0 (Jhelik 3, Supta 16) Amy Jones delivers an excellent take as Bell sends down a leg-side wide to Jhelik – she’s still trying to get her line right against the left-hander. Supta welcomes a half-volley with a drive through the covers for four, and the next ball is flicked to the fine-leg rope. Another boundary follows moments later when Bell goes too wide outside off, with Supta guiding it past the slip cordon. A very tidy over for Bangladesh.

2nd over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Jhelik 2, Supta 4) Here’s a completely different challenge: from the tall right-arm quick to the shorter left-arm spinner. Smith closes her tight stump-to-stump opening over with a vicious in-ducker to the right-hander.

1st over: Bangladesh 5-0 (Jhelik 1, Supta 4) Jhelik clips Bell’s opening delivery for a single, bringing Sharmin Akhter Supta on strike. Bell finds a touch of outswing and beats Supta’s attempted cover drive … and then a chance at slip! Bell finds the outside edge and Heather Knight flies low to her left but the ball beats her and runs to the rope … it’s not clear if it carried to the former England captain. A probing first over from the right-arm quick.

Plenty of empty seats at Guwahati, I’m sad to report. Lauren Bell has the new ball for England and is up against the left-handed Rubya Haider Jhelik. Let’s play!

Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh’s captain, says her side wanted to bat first. They’ve only faced England once before in this format, at the last World Cup: Bangladesh fell to a 100-run defeat, with Sophie Ecclestone taking three for 15 off 10 (!) overs.