by England began their World Cup campaign with a victory against Bangladesh thanks to left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who picked up two wickets and a run-out in her first World Cup match since November 2018.
Jon Lewis’ decision to recall Smith to the England side earlier this year was based on his belief that her power play power play is “among the best in the world” and she lived up to that billing here, finishing with two for 11 from his four. overs and helping restrict Bangladesh to a 20-run powerplay – a slow start from which it was impossible to recover.
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England’s final margin of victory was a comfortable 21 runs, although victory came after a wobble, meaning they posted a below-par score of 118 for seven after the middle order had spoiled a good start. Newlywed Danni Wyatt-Hodge – playing for the first time under her married name after getting married in June – reached 41, but was stumped in the 13th over amid some tricky overs for her team.
Wyatt-Hodge said: “The conditions are quite tough and it’s going to be a tough tournament, but I’m excited to contribute tonight. There were probably some nerves, but we played smart cricket and ran really well.
England had started with a 47-run power advantage but lost five wickets for 37 runs in the last nine overs as the Bangladesh spinners made the most of the friendly conditions in Sharjah.
But England were indebted to their own spin-based strategy, first touted against New Zealand in July, after taking the field with four slow frontline bowlers who between them knocked down five of the seven Bangladeshi wickets.
Smith had been a last-minute addition to the XI, after Lewis and captain, Heather Knight, watched Thursday’s opening matches in Sharjah and concluded that a fourth spin option would be more of an asset on the slow and slow wicket. low as seamer Lauren. Bell.
And so it proved: Smith had opener Shathi Rani caught driving at mid-off and came back at the death to slip the ball onto Taj Nehar’s stumps. Perhaps his most important contribution was on the field, taking a throw-in from deep square leg to remove Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana.
Wyatt-Hodge called Smith’s performance “outstanding” and added: “I told her before the match, ‘You’re going to be a handful on this court,’ because she’s slippery and small, and doesn’t didn’t have much bounce. She really deserved her chance tonight.
Sobhana Mostary slapped Charlie Dean for six en route to a 48-ball 44 – no mean feat considering the size of Sharjah’s boundaries – but her fighting effort ended in the penultimate over , stuck leg-before as Bangladesh fell well short.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s bespectacled leg-spinner Fahima Khatun was given two opportunities to showcase her signature dance celebration. First, she teased Nat Sciver-Brunt out of his crease, hit him low on the pads in front of center stump and, after England burned a review, greeted the third umpire’s decision with glee .
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Then, in the 16th over, a frustrated Alice Capsey fell straight into the trap Khatun had set for her, sweeping backwards into the hands of backward point after managing just nine runs from the 17 balls she faced. Sophie Ecclestone pulled off her usual party trick by smashing her first ball for six, but Knight admitted afterwards that England had pushed for a total closer to 130. “If we go back to that pitch we’re going to have to graft points,” she said.
England return to action against South Africa on Monday, who – fresh from a 10-wicket defeat against the West Indies – are likely to pose a more formidable challenge.
