England’s Heather Knight against Bangladesh in their ICC Women’s World Cup match in Guwahati on Tuesday, October 07, 2025.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR
On her first competitive match after eight months, Heather Knight was handed three lifelines as her 111-ball 79 saved England’s blushes in a four-wicket win over Bangladesh in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 on Tuesday at the Barsapara Stadium here.
“I certainly had a bit of luck today and the kind of year I’ve had, I probably deserved it,” Knight laughed after the match. After a 0-16 (points) humbling by Australia in the Ashes in January, she left her role as captain in May. She then was out with a hamstring injury.
Back in the crease, Knight had to lead the 179-run chase as she ran out of partners at the other end. “The hardest thing sometimes coming back from injury is to find the rhythm in the middle, which can take some time. I’m delighted that I was able to spend a little bit of time out there and get through that pressure,” she said.
Time is something she did take to get used to the conditions as Bangladesh kept hacking away at the wickets. After 30 overs, England lost six wickets and was at sea. Knight had racked up 28 runs in 68 balls. Then, a fruitful partnership with Charlie Dean turned the match on its head.
“I always believed we were going to win. I knew that if one batter came through then we would win it. When Alice [Capsey] came in, we sort of said that one big partnership will turn the game. It was the same with Deano [Dean].”
She revealed how sessions in the nets in similar conditions on the day before gave her an idea of the wicket. Then in the match, the rub of the green and some sweep shots towards the end of her knock did the job. It was truly Knight’s night.
Published – October 08, 2025 07:08 pm IST
