\n<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, however, England got away with one.<\/p>\n
Their spinners were superb again – claiming 9-116 in 37.4 overs – but familiar frailties emerged with the bat and the sight of coach Charlotte Edwards laughing and celebrating Knight’s third reprieve with a double fist pump in the changing room was a curious one.<\/p>\n
Had England lost, it is likely we would have seen quite a few more replays of it, particularly considering the gulf between these two teams and the sticky situation that her side were in.<\/p>\n
England’s batting weakness against spin has been well documented, but in ODIs they had started to make promising progress since the Alana King-dominated Ashes.<\/p>\n
They are averaging a fraction under 35 per wicket against spin in the format this year, an improvement from 31.19 in 2024 and 25.59 the year before.<\/p>\n
Other important factors include that this particular game saw the most deliveries of spin bowled in a Women’s World Cup match, and the pitch offered the most turn of any game in the tournament so far. Batting was difficult, but it is a 50-over World Cup in India – it was always going to be tough, and England will need to adapt quickly.<\/p>\n
Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont were exposed by Marufa’s swing, both trapped lbw playing across the line. Nat Sciver-Brunt miscued a full toss, Sophia Dunkley got a marginal lbw decision but was trapped on the crease and Emma Lamb – batting outside of the top three for the first time in her professional 50-over career – chipped to mid-on.<\/p>\n
But again Knight led the way, putting her favoured sweeps away as she scratched around to begin with, but with confidence came a little more flair, a use of the feet and the ball started to find the middle of the bat.<\/p>\n
“We’ll learn a lot from the experience. It was really tough conditions out there and they bowled brilliantly,” Knight said.<\/p>\n
“I haven’t had a huge amount of time in the middle with the injury, so I am just finding my feet.<\/p>\n
“But I know playing spin is a real strength of mine, I know I’ve got different options based on the conditions, and for me it was about being really precise on what ball I was going to attack and which I would defend.<\/p>\n
“When I did get into that rhythm, I was just really precise with my footwork and had a really clear gameplan, trying to sweep on line and use my feet to different bowlers to hit hard down the ground.”<\/p>\n
This time, England did overcome the pressure, with Knight’s luck and heroics to thank.<\/p>\n
Back in the ranks, and back in the runs. No longer the captain, but always a leader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n