Heather Knight tried her happiness through a hat trick of early fears before she led England to a nerve -racking victory of four wickets over Bangladesh at the Women’s Football World Cup.
A second victory in a row in Guwahati placed the team of Charlotte Edwards at the top of the rankings, but it could have been very different because they went hunting to 179 in heavy weather.
In trouble at 78 for five, they were saved by Knight’s courageous 79 not out when she and all-rounder Charlie Dean (27NO) took their worries away with a controlled seventh-wicket stand.
But Bangladesh will rightly feel frustrated because it misses a big setback, after the match winner of England has somehow survived a scorching start to her innings.
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(Anupam Nath/AP)
Deferment
Knight was behind because of a golden duck, but received a postponement from Drs when third referee Gayathri Venugopalan reversed the decision on the field, despite an apparently unclear peak on ultraedege.
She was rated as LBW on Acht, successfully reviewed a second time, and then saw what a clean catch seemed, excluded with 13 to her name.
Knight already left the field when she was recalled, while Edwards laughed in surprise from the dressing room.
Knight ensured that an unhappy Bangladesh had to regret their setbacks, by setting up and leading her side to the winning line under difficult turning conditions.
The 34-year-old dropped the anchor to work out the runs in a non-spectacular but invaluable way, while Dean played her role in an uninterrupted partnership of 79.
She skipped the winning points with 23 more balls, but this was a closer game than the final scoreboard suggested.
Read more: Linsey Smith was happy to be able to make a contribution when England opened with a resounding victory
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