Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature22nd over: Bangladesh 85-3 (Mostary 31, Shorna 10) Linsey Smith returns to give Ecclestone a breather, and Shorna does look like she wants to give it a proper whack. It nearly gets her in trouble when she throws the bat outside off and nearly chops on to the stumps.Share21st over: Bangladesh 83-3 (Mostary 30, Shorna 9) Shorna Akter goes on the attack against Dean, sweeping hard to deep midwicket for four – risks are required from this end if Ecclestone is allowed to settle from the other.Share20th over: Bangladesh 76-3 (Mostary 29, Shorna 3) Can these two do anything to disrupt Ecclestone, who is at ease ripping the ball down the wicket? A single is the only damage off the over.Share19th over: Bangladesh 75-3 (Mostary 28, Shorna 3) Sciver-Brunt and her teammates are all smiles and laughs, just having a really great time out there. Dean opts for a change in approach, going around the wicket, but the batting pair do a decent job with rotating the strike, taking six off the over.Share18th over: Bangladesh 69-3 (Mostary 26, Shorna 1) Tammy Beaumont is loving life at silly mid-off, throwing various shapes and applauding away as Ecclestone launches her grenades. A couple of leg-side wides hurt Ecclestone’s flow but Beaumont is diving to her right not long after, a leading edge beating her rather ambitious effort.Share17th over: Bangladesh 66-3 (Mostary 26, Shorna 1) Dean is a touch too straight but when she gets it right, adjusting her line to tempt the drive, there’s no slip in place – Mostary’s outside edge runs to the boundary.Share16th over: Bangladesh 59-3 (Mostary 20, Shorna 0) Ecclestone has a wicket maiden and Bangladesh must go again after the end of that 34-run stand.ShareWICKET! Supta c Jones b Ecclestone 30 (Bangladesh 59-3)Supta gets the sweep wrong against Ecclestone and takes a blow to the helmet, which prompts a drinks break. And Ecclestone strikes straight after it! It’s the bounce that does for Supta, who tries to punch off the back foot but gets a thin edge behind to Jones.ShareUpdated at 06.55 EDT15th over: Bangladesh 59-2 (Mostary 20, Supta 30) Dean changes her pace up nicely, following the darts with a tossed-up tempter outside off. Mostary and Supta are settling in, though, building a decent stand and refusing to do anything silly.Share14th over: Bangladesh 56-2 (Mostary 19, Supta 29) Ecclestone’s fizz nearly gets Mostary to inside-edge on to her stumps, but the next ball is too short and Supta rocks back for four. A loopy turner outside off closes the over.Share13th over: Bangladesh 51-2 (Mostary 18, Supta 25) Sciver-Brunt takes herself off and brings on Charlie Dean. The offie’s only misstep in her over is a wide down the leg side, with her last ball nearly taking Supta’s outside edge.Share12th over: Bangladesh 50-2 (Mostary 18, Supta 25) Tammy Beaumont gets the lid on and advances to silly mid-off for Ecclestone’s second over … and Beaumont is in the game immediately, diving to her left but still out of reach. Mostary is looking in very decent nick here, driving Ecclestone through point for four. And just after I type that … she nearly chops on to her stumps.Share11th over: Bangladesh 45-2 (Mostary 14, Supta 24) Bangladesh can breathe a little easier – Sciver-Brunt is punished for three boundaries, with Mostary hooking and cutting nicely for two of them.Share10th over: Bangladesh 31-2 (Mostary 6, Supta 19) Here’s Sophie Ecclestone to give it a rip … and her fourth delivery is a beaut. It pitches on off and grips past Mostary’s outside edge. It’s a classy first over from Ecclestone, conceding nil. Bangladesh have hit 10 runs off the last seven overs.Share9th over: Bangladesh 31-2 (Mostary 6, Supta 19) Nat Sciver-Brunt brings herself on and Mostary punches through the covers to bring Bangladesh a much-needed boundary.Share8th over: Bangladesh 26-2 (Mostary 1, Supta 19) Mostary clips for one as Smith loses her line, but that’s the only damage off the over. Supta has 19 but, with four boundaries, has struggled to rotate the strike.Share7th over: Bangladesh 25-2 (Mostary 0, Supta 19) Bell gets away with a maiden, her final ball a wide long-hop that is cut straight to point by Supta.Share6th over: Bangladesh 25-2 (Mostary 0, Supta 19) Smith has figures of one for five after three overs as Sobhana Mostary, who hit an unbeaten 24 in the win over Pakistan, knuckles down.ShareWICKET! Joty c Dean b Smith 0 (Bangladesh 25-2)Oh dear. Joty pokes the bat at Smith and ends up chipping the ball to short extra cover. It’s a second-ball duck and a first wicket for Linsey Smith, who is delivering up top once again.ShareUpdated at 06.07 EDT5th over: Bangladesh 24-1 (Joty 0, Supta 18) Nigar Sultana Joty, captain and wicketkeeper, emerges for Bangladesh.ShareWICKET! Jhelik c Dunkley b Bell 4 (Bangladesh 24-1)Bell bounces back. Jhelik tries to force things against the quick after a couple of dots, coming down the pitch, but her loft down the ground is miscued to Sophia Dunkley at mid-off. England are up and running.ShareUpdated at 06.23 EDT4th over: Bangladesh 23-0 (Jhelik 4, Supta 17) Smith gets a closer look at Jhelik, who hasn’t had much of the strike. The left-armer sends down another over with little drama, conceding a couple.Share3rd over: Bangladesh 21-0 (Jhelik 3, Supta 16) Amy Jones delivers an excellent take as Bell sends down a leg-side wide to Jhelik – she’s still trying to get her line right against the left-hander. Supta welcomes a half-volley with a drive through the covers for four, and the next ball is flicked to the fine-leg rope. Another boundary follows moments later when Bell goes too wide outside off, with Supta guiding it past the slip cordon. A very tidy over for Bangladesh.Share2nd over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Jhelik 2, Supta 4) Here’s a completely different challenge: from the tall right-arm quick to the shorter left-arm spinner. Smith closes her tight stump-to-stump opening over with a vicious in-ducker to the right-hander.Share1st over: Bangladesh 5-0 (Jhelik 1, Supta 4) Jhelik clips Bell’s opening delivery for a single, bringing Sharmin Akhter Supta on strike. Bell finds a touch of outswing and beats Supta’s attempted cover drive … and then a chance at slip! Bell finds the outside edge and Heather Knight flies low to her left but the ball beats her and runs to the rope … it’s not clear if it carried to the former England captain. A probing first over from the right-arm quick.SharePlenty of empty seats at Guwahati, I’m sad to report. Lauren Bell has the new ball for England and is up against the left-handed Rubya Haider Jhelik. Let’s play!ShareUpdated at 05.32 EDTNigar Sultana, Bangladesh’s captain, says her side wanted to bat first. They’ve only faced England once before in this format, at the last World Cup: Bangladesh fell to a 100-run defeat, with Sophie Ecclestone taking three for 15 off 10 (!) overs.ShareThe teamsEngland are unchanged but Bangladesh have opted for a couple: the all-rounder Ritu Moni and left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Maghla are in.England: Amy Jones (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren BellBangladesh: Rubya Haider Jhelik, Sharmin Akhter Supta, Nigar Sultana Joty (c) (wk), Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akhter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter MaghlaShareEngland win the toss and choose to fieldIf it ain’t broke … Nat Sciver-Brunt calls it right and England will bowl first again.SharePreambleIt took just 34.5 overs for England to arrive at this World Cup, South Africa stunned in a 10-wicket shellacking. After the misery of the Ashes and defeat at home to India in the summer, this was a required dose of joy for the 2017 world champions.Linsey Smith’s drifting left-arm spin was key in dismantling the South African top order while Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones strolled through the chase. Funnily enough, such dominance can often lead to less clarity; we still need a glimpse of the rest of the batting lineup to really know where England sit among the contenders.Bangladesh will look to provide that proper test having opened their campaign with a seven-wicket win over Pakistan. Marufa Akhter, a 20-year-old quick, set that one up with two wickets in the opening over – I’m looking forward to seeing what she can come up with against Beaumont and Jones.Kick-off is at 10.30am BST – drop me a line with all your various thoughts, queries, musings on life. Cheers!Share
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