In Dorothy L Sayers’ Murder Must Advertise, the aged Mr Brotherhood enquires with some asperity ‘Why on earth did you send this man in ninth?’ (This referred, inevitably, to Lord Peter Wimsey’s dazzling batsmanship.) A similar question might be asked of Nigar Sultana Joty. Fresh from their thrilling victory over Pakistan, the Bangla side found themselves inserted at Guwahati on a pitch with a degree of turn available. Bell removed Dzhili early, and Smith induced a feeble catch from Joty. At 2/25 and suddenly deprived of their twin batting heroes, Bangla Desh seemed rudderless, adrift in a Sargasso Sea of inertia. No blame whatever attaches to Sobhara Mostary, who held her end up and collected such runs as made themselves available. As wickets steadily fell around her, it was all she could do to fight on and attempt to get some sort of total on the board. She top-scored with a patient 60 (off 108), but her partners seemed mesmerised by England’s spin quartet.
When Ritu Moni was finally out for 5 off 36 it seemed a moment of relief. Yes, there was spin. But not extravagant spin. It was like watching a somnolent net practice as the run-rate plunged downwards. Two-thirds of the balls bowled were dots. There was no attempt to force the pace or improvise, save against the two seamers, whose twelve overs cost 1/60. Ecclestone, Dean, Smith and Capsey took the other nine wickets exceedingly cheaply. When Rabeya Khan went out to bat at no.9 the camera kept turning to the pavilion, where Joty expostulated visibly. Could somebody please DO something?? she appeared to be beseeching the heavens.
Rabeya is but twenty years old, and has it appears no fear of anybody. As she swept, drove, glanced, glided and clubbed the English attack all over the park, it simply went to show what might have been possible. When the final wicket fell in the last over she was left stranded, unbeaten on 43 off 27. Going by what we saw, she must be sent in no lower than no.6 in future. But even as she thrilled the crowd with her exuberant strokeplay, the lasting impression on the viewer was What Then Will England Do?
Marufa began proceedings with her customary brio, trapping Jones leg before in her first over. She then dropped Beaumont off Nahida: an easy catch which ought to have been taken. Undeterred, she had Knight caught behind: a decision later reversed on mystifying grounds. She then trapped Beaumont in front, and repeated the dose to Knight, who successfully appealed again, and was spared once more. At least this time the decision was comprehensible. Marufa must have steeped on a pavement crack, or else crossed the path of a black cat; for she had little luck.
The Bangla spin battery kept things relatively quiet at one end. At the other was Nat Sciver-Brunt, who had had quite enough of all this excitement, and raced to a run-a-ball 30 by drinks. Thereafter Knight enjoyed yet another bewildering reprieve, this time for a catch in the field. She would be well-advised to buy herself a lottery ticket tomorrow. Then Fahima Khatun took a hand in proceedings. She induced a loose waft from Sciver-Brunt; trapped Dunkley in front, and had Lamb go for an ambitious leg-side swipe which landed in Nahida’s grasp. For a dreadful moment the umpires reviewed the catch. For a direful moment it seemed Bangla Desh might be sawn off yet again, but sanity prevailed and Lamb was on her way.
With England at 5/78 the match was tottering towards an upset. Capsey strode to the wicket and played an excellent cameo of 20 until she played all over the left-arm spin of Meghla and was palpably leg before. England 6/104 and still knee-deep in trouble. What would Knight do? By this stage she had reached a cautious, sedate 27, trusting in the favourable star which had thus far preserved her. But she appeared to decide that Charlie Dean was a reliable partner. And Joty’s problem was that, the excellent Khatun aside, her wrist-spinners were steadily bleeding runs. And indeed Knight and Dean calmly picked off the runs, taking their time about it because they could. They saw off Khatun, whose ten overs produced 3/16. Bangla Desh had put up a tremendous fight, but the palm went to England after all. Knight’s unbeaten 79 was the difference.