Heather Knight spared England an embarrassing defeat in a tricky Women’s World Cup four-wicket victory over Bangladesh, which was not without controversy.
When England slid to 78 for five, needing 101 runs to win, Bangladesh were in with a chance of what would have been a historic victory.
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In the end, it came down to small margins and fortuitous review decisions, with Knight leading England to a successful chase of 179 with 23 balls remaining.
Knight survived after three reviews, two for catches and one for lbw. The second catch reversal was the most contentious.
The controversial catch
With Knight on 13, the third umpire made a decision that brought fist pumps and smiles from Charlotte Edwards in the England dressing room.
Off the bowling of the dangerous spinner Fahima Khatun, Knight pushed the ball towards extra cover, where Shorna Akter appeared to take a well-timed catch while diving forwards.
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Knight had no immediate qualms with the on-field decision of out and had started to make her way off the field when she was made to pause. The umpire had decided to check the catch.
Shorna Akter appeared to take a well-timed catch – Getty Images/Pankaj Nangia
After a lengthy review and numerous “rock and rolling” of pixelated images, the third umpire determined that the catch was not cleanly taken, and Knight was handed a reprieve.
“The catch at first look I thought was out, but obviously that was overturned,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it was a massive turning point, but a bit of luck for me, I was pretty much off the pitch and [Sophia] Dunkley was in the middle, so it was one of those you get a second chance, you get a little bit of luck, obviously that was overturned and I really wanted to make it count.
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“I probably haven’t had the most luck over the course of this year. It is what it is, I got a bit lucky today but really glad that I made the most of it.”
Many, including commentator Nasser Hussain, believed that the on-field decision should have been upheld.
“I thought it carried and I thought it was a fair catch and that’s obviously why I walked off,” Knight added in the on-field interview.
“But obviously the TV umpire decided otherwise.”
Bangladesh’s celebrations over Knight’s ‘dismissal’ were eventually cut short – AP/Anupam Nath
The first catch
The first escape had come from Knight’s first ball, when a catch was claimed by wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana off seamer Marufa Akter. The on-field decision was out but Knight reviewed and the third umpire said there was “nothing conclusive” that the ball had hit the bat. Usually, the third umpire should defer to the on-field decision if there is any doubt, but Knight was allowed to stay.
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“It was a case of just refocusing. I knew I didn’t hit the ball and it’s tricky conditions as well, it’s swinging quite a lot and can make it difficult for the umpires as well, but that’s the joy of DRS,” Knight explained.
Knight asks for a DRS review after being given out off the bowling of Marufa Akter – Reuters/Mihir Singh
The lbw
The second decision was the only straightforward one of the three, when Knight reviewed an lbw decision when she was on eight and England 30 for two, with ball tracking showing the delivery was missing the stumps.
It was the catch with England 30 for two that changed the course of the match. Knight went on to play herself into form after a serious hamstring injury that saw her in a battle to be fit for the World Cup.
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Having not batted for an extensive period of time since May, she went on to make an unbeaten 79 from 111, and guide England to a four-wicket win with 23 balls remaining.
“I can’t say I’ve been out three times and been reprieved ever in an innings, so that’s a new one for me,” Knight said.
“A little bit of pressure on, we made it a little bit hard for ourselves, but the main thing in World Cups is getting over the line and I’m really pleased that I was able to be there with Charlie [Dean].”
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It was England’s first real test of character in a major tournament since the 16-0 Ashes humiliation that forced a change of personnel at the top, with Edwards taking over as head coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt as captain.
There had been questions about how the side would deal with the pressure that had been their downfall in previous tournaments, notably the 2024 T20 World Cup. Those were brought to the forefront again when Marufa Akter, a 20-year-old swing bowler, caused problems at the start of England’s run chase, taking the wickets of both openers inside the power play. Then Fahima Khatun stifled the chase, taking three wickets for just 16 runs from her 10 overs.
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As she has done for the last decade or more, however, Knight steadied the ship and steered England to their second successive World Cup victory.
After their thumping win over South Africa and recovery against Bangladesh, England sit at the top of the table with all sides having played two matches.
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