by Skipper Heather Knight has warned that England’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign may not always be “sexy” as they struggle with the prevailing conditions in the United Arab Emirates.
Knight’s side kicked off their quest for glory with a 21-run Group B win over Bangladesh on a tricky pitch in Sharjah, where the slow outfield compounded the batting woes.
England were restricted to 118 for seven after winning the toss and electing to bat, but although Knight admitted there was room for improvement, she was happy with that total at the halfway mark.
She told Sky Sports: “It wasn’t far from average, but I think if we push it to around 135, 140 it will be a very good score if we take that type of wicket again.
“This is what we prepared for, but we just have to find a way to do it sometimes.
“It’s not going to look good and it’s not going to be sexy all the time and if we get those conditions again, we’re going to have to graft a little bit and try to minimize the point balls because the limits are going to be really difficult to reach.
“But having said that, I was pretty happy with the score. I knew it would be a very difficult total. You saw in our innings, it got slower and slower as it progressed.
Openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Maia Bouchier put on 48 for the first wicket before Bouchier fell on the fourth ball of the seventh for 23, and it was Wyatt-Hodge who held the innings with a 40-ball 41.
However, the Bangladeshi bowlers gradually put the brakes on and England were grateful to Sophie Ecclestone, who dispatched the penultimate delivery for six and bowled two off the last over for a late injection.
Bangladesh never really got going as they tried to chase down 119, losing openers Dilara Akter and Shathi Rani with just 17 on the board and then seeing skipper Nigar Sultana Joty run out for 15 thanks to a fine delivery from Linsey Smith, who returned figures of two for 11 from her four overs as the innings ended on 97 for seven.
Knight said: “Linsey Smith, I’m really happy for her afterwards. Six years after her last World Cup match where she put in the kind of performance she did, I was really happy for her.
England are likely to face a tougher test when they meet South Africa in Sharjah on Monday, with Knight knowing they will have to fight fire with fire.
She said: “They had a convincing victory the other night, didn’t they? They hit very well. They’re still competitive, they still bring that fire and that passion, so we’re going to have to play really well. They have world-class players.
