England and Bangladesh head into their second match of the Women’s World Cup 2025 in Guwahati eager to build on the momentum from convincing opening wins. The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.
The two teams currently hold the third and fourth place, with only Net Run Rate (NRR) differentiating them. Notably, England and Bangladesh have squared off against each other only once in the 50-over format, with England winning by 100 runs.
England Women will face Bangladesh Women in Match 8 of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, October 07. Both teams are coming off victories from their opening matches, with England defeating South Africa convincingly by 10 wickets, and Bangladesh winning by seven wickets over Pakistan.
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Previous Performances
England flexed their world-class depth in a one-sided outing against South Africa, while Bangladesh showcased discipline and growing self-belief in their takedown of Pakistan. One comes armed with pedigree and power, the other with ambition and purpose, setting up an engaging contest.
England, the four-time champions, couldn’t have asked for a more emphatic start, dismantling South Africa for just 69 before cruising to a 10-wicket win in 14.1 overs. Their clinical performance underlined not just their experience but also their ruthless efficiency with both ball and bat.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, began their campaign with a similarly crushing win over Pakistan, showcasing a template that has served them well in recent years – disciplined bowling backed by smart, risk-free batting. Restricting Pakistan to 129 and chasing it down in 31.1 overs with seven wickets in hand, Nigar Sultana’s side signalled their intent to compete on equal footing with higher-ranked teams. Their spin department remains their key asset, particularly in subcontinental conditions, and they’ll be looking to make full use of that.
ENG -W vs BAN-W : Head to Head
England faced Bangladesh only once before in a 50-over game – in Wellington in the 2022 World Cup, which they won by 100 runs.
| Matches Played | 01 |
| ENG W Won | 01 |
| BAN W Won | 00 |
| No Result | 00 |
| Only Fixture | March 27, 2022 (ENG W Won) |
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Pitch and Weather Report
he Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is renowned for being a batting-friendly surface. The pitch generally offers good bounce and carry, allowing batters to play their shots with confidence, particularly in the early stages of the innings. Fast bowlers may also find some assistance upfront due to the pace on offer. As the match progresses, the surface tends to slow down slightly, bringing spinners into play, though it largely remains favourable for batting throughout the contest.
A fresh pitch will be used for the game. But it may not behave too differently from the first two tracks. Both the pitches assisted spin as the afternoon wore on but against fast bowling, the ball came nicely onto the bat. As for the weather, there is slight chance of rain. There was rain predicted for the England-South Africa game on Monday, but it stayed dry, while Bangladesh were forced indoors two days before this match due to an unexpected shower.
This will be the third match of the competition to be played at this venue. While the surface is expected to aid the slower bowlers, batters who show discipline and application can still make runs here. India’s middle order demonstrated that with a total of 269 against Sri Lanka, while South Africa’s struggles in the next game were a reminder of what happens when that patience goes missing.
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Big Picture : Will Bangladesh amuse England in their rare meeting
England take on Bangladesh in an ODI World Cup match. The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.
“This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said on match eve.
As per the new future tours programme which will run from 2025-29, Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in September 2027. That is perhaps when the fixture will stop being an event.
On the field, both teams are coming on the back of comfortable wins. England’s multi-pronged attack could pose a tough challenge for Bangladesh, whose batters often struggle to force the pace. Conversely, if the track assists spin, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack led by Nahida Akter could be more than just a handful for England. Their batters were hardly challenged in the opening game.
ENG-W vs BAN-W : In the Spotlight : Emma Lamb and Marufa Akter
She is just 21 ODIs old, but Emma Lamb is already adapting to a second role in England’s batting unit. A natural opener, she scored her only century at the top of the order and was the leading run-scorer in the ECB Women’s One-Day Cup while opening for champions Lancashire. At the start of this English summer, though, Amy Jones was promoted to open, and Lamb was moved to No. 3 when Heather Knight was recovering from a hamstring injury.
Now, with Knight back for the World Cup, Lamb is set to take on an altogether different role – batting in the lower-middle order and chipping in with a few overs of offspin. She wasn’t needed with either bat or ball in England’s tournament opener, but could get her first go in this new role against Bangladesh if her team bats first.
Marufa Akter just loves to bowl. After setting the tone in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan, she lit up their first practice session in India. With rain forcing the team indoors, Marufa was full of energy, bowling at full tilt two days out from the contest. She constantly troubled captain Sultana in the nets, eventually bowling her once.
With her ability to move the new ball and generate sharp pace, Marufa could be a real handful for England’s openers – Tammy Beaumont tends to struggle against the incoming angle early on, while Jones prefers a cautious start.
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Vital Stats that matters
- Bangladesh’s only ODI against England came at the previous World Cup.
- Only Fargana Hoque, Fahima Khatun and Ritu Moni from the current Bangladesh squad have played an ODI in India before.
- England’s win /loss ratio of 1.0 in 2025, their worst in a calendar year since 2007. They have won three games against West Indies, one each against India and South Africa.
- England will play their 94th ODI World Cup Game to be on par with Australia for the joint-most.
- Nat-Sciver Brunt is one of the four batters with four World Cup hundreds, the most, alongside Suzie Bates, Janette Brittin and Charlotte Edwards. She needs another 10 runs to go past Claire Taylor’s 4101 ODI runs to break into top 3 leading run-scorers for England.
- Since January 2024, Sophie Ecclestone has bagged 35 wickets at an average of 14.97 and a strike rate of 25.4, with an economy of 3.52. She is the second highest wicket-taker after Deepti Sharma in this period.
ENG -W vs BAN-W : Team News for England and Bangladesh
England :
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s team are unlikely to change the winning combination from the first game. Given England’s line-up was hardly tested against South Africa, expect them to go in with an unchanged XI.
England Probable Playing XI : Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
Bangladesh :
After an excellent start to their campaign, Bangladesh will also see no reason to change their eleven.Against England’s right-hand heavy line-up, Bangladesh could look to play left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla for an offspinner in Nishita Akter Nishi.
Bangladesh Probable Playing XI : Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (c & wk), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Probable Top Performers
Probable Best Batter: Rubya Haider
Rubya Haider has been in amazing form recently, consistently scoring runs for her team. She displayed her brilliance in the first game by scoring an unbeaten fifty to guide Bangladesh home against Pakistan. The 28-year-old will be confident to bat in the same way against a team like England.
Probable Best Bowler: Linsey Smith
Linsey Smith bagged a three-wicket haul in England’s dominant 10-wicket victory over South Africa. The left-arm spinner is set to once again use the Guwahati conditions to her benefit and trouble the opposition batters. Smith will have the responsibility to dominate in the middle-overs and unsettle the Bangladeshi batters.
ENG-W vs BAN-W : Match Predictions
While England will start as overwhelming favourites, Bangladesh have proven that they aren’t pushovers. Their growing confidence and ability to build pressure through consistency could make this a closer game than expected. The key question is whether Bangladesh’s batters can hold their own against England’s bowling attack, which ripped through South Africa with precision and control. Conversely, England’s batters may find Bangladesh’s disciplined attack a tougher test than what they faced in their opener.
Scenario 1: Bangladesh Women opt to bowl first
1st innings prediction: England Women to post 315-325 runs
Match Prediction: England Women to win
Scenario 2: Bangladesh Women opt to bat first
1st innings prediction: Bangladesh Women to post 190-200 runs
Match Prediction: England Women to win
Also Read: Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: A Plot Twist No One Saw Coming