Knight reflected on her innings, the challenging conditions, and the importance of composure under pressure. “That’s hoping out. Given out three times innings and had them overturned, that’s for sure,” Knight laughed, recalling her eventful stay at the crease. “It was a case of just refocusing. Obviously, I knew I didn’t hit the ball, and yeah, it’s tricky conditions as well. It was swinging quite a lot, which can make it tricky for the umpires as well. But that’s the joy of DRS, and it’s great to have that in place.”

The former England skipper described her knock as one of her more resilient efforts, given the conditions and the pressure of a World Cup fixture.

“Pleased to do that in a huge World Cup game, under a huge amount of pressure. I definitely didn’t find it my most fluent, particularly at the start. It was just a case of trying to get through; the conditions were tricky, obviously with a huge amount of swing at the start. I just tried to find a method to get through the period, really. Obviously rode my luck a little bit with the overturned decisions and things like that.”

Knight credited Bangladesh for their spirited performance and disciplined bowling attack. “I thought Bangladesh bowled really well; they’re a really well-organised unit. They’ve got some brilliant bowlers and a clear game plan to try and bat 50 and get as many as they can on the board. Conditions were tough and suited them, so I thought they were brilliant and gave us a really good run for our money. But the main thing about today was just getting the W and getting over the line, and I was really pleased that I was able to contribute.”

Reflecting on the surface, Knight said the inconsistency of spin made batting particularly difficult. “This one felt like it was quite tricky. For me, it was probably the inconsistency of the turn. It wasn’t one where every ball was going; some were skidding, some were holding a little bit more. The nets we had actually, the last couple of days have been really good preparation, because they were quite sticky, quite similar to the middle.”
 

The former captain spoke in detail about her approach to different bowlers and the adjustments she made during the innings. “So, the last two training sessions were all about getting a really clear method of how I was going to play in those conditions, which we kind of did. It was tricky, it was really hard to sort of pierce the offside ring, felt like I had to take a few risks and get the feet going to get a few boundaries, then be able to capitalise with the fielders out.

“The sweep shot is obviously one that’s really strong for me, and as well when the bowler’s a little bit slower, not a huge amount of pace on the ball, it can be one that I go to. But I think picking what works for which bowler, for one of the left-armers, it felt a lot easier to go down the ground. So, it was just about being really clear on what was going to sweep, what was going to hit down the ground, and when I had to soak up pressure and trust my defence as well.”

Knight also discussed the importance of belief within the team, particularly when wickets were falling. “I have always believed that we were going to be able to win, even though we obviously lost those wickets. I knew that, particularly if one batter went through, we were in a really good position to try and win. I think when Alice came in, I thought she played really nicely, actually, getting that partnership together. We sort of said, one big partnership, and that’s pretty much the game.”

Coming back from injury, Knight acknowledged that regaining her rhythm was one of the challenges she faced, “I think sometimes in those conditions, it’s just about having a bit of time there to get used to it, trying to find your method quite quickly, trying to find your footwork. It’s my first innings in an ODI since January officially, so yeah, it was always going to take a little bit of time to get my feet. So yeah, pretty delighted that I was able to do that. And I think with more aggressive shots, it was just trying to pick a time to do that.”

Looking ahead, Knight said England would take valuable lessons from this match as the World Cup progresses. “That’s cricket sometimes. Ultimately, we’re in a World Cup, you need to get the two points and win. There’s certainly some learning we’ll take from that. Tricky conditions, and we know we’re probably going to face something similar at some of the other venues, so I think we’ll be better for the experience of having faced it today. And yeah, we’ve got some brilliant players of spin, but that’s cricket, sometimes you get out.”

Knight concluded by praising her partnership with Charlie Dean, an unbeaten 79-run stand, and her adaptability as a batter. “I think, like I said before, it’s about being really clear on how I want to play- their bowling, how I’m going to score my runs. I probably got a little bit too defensive at the start and struggled to move my feet quickly. When the ball is slow and it’s turning, your footwork is so key. I managed to find that sort of pace of footwork towards the middle and back end of my innings, which was quite nice. That’s the beauty of World Cups, playing in four different venues, you face different conditions.

“The conditions tonight were different to the first game, with the dew and under lights as well. My role is to adapt, and hopefully, we’ll get some pitches where it isn’t quite as spin-friendly and I can be a bit more aggressive. But I’ve always prided myself on being able to adapt to what’s in front of me. I was really pleased that I was able to see it out tonight. We were under a little bit of pressure, and losing wickets meant we had to put a partnership together, so really delighted that I was able to do that with Charlie, especially.”

England will now look to build on this victory as they continue their World Cup campaign, buoyed by Knight’s steady leadership and resilience under pressure.