| England 234-6 (50 overs): Dunkley 67, Sciver 40, Khatun 2-46 |
| Bangladesh 134 (48 overs): Ecclestone 3-15, Dean 3-31 |
| England won by 100 runs |
| Scorecard. Table |
England defeated Bangladesh in Wellington to reach the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup.
The defending champion have won four successive matches after starting the tournament with three straight losses.
England started with circumspection against a hard-working Bangladesh attack, at one point finding themselves 96-4.
Sophia Dunkley made 67 with the help of Amy Jones and Katherine Brunt.
The final match of the World Cup was played by Bangladesh and they never showed any intent in the chase.
The Bangladesh were dismissed for 134.
If India and South Africa play to a draw on Sunday, England will finish third or fourth in the group.
India needs to win in order to reach the last four and can only finish above England on net run-rate.
England will play South Africa in the last four if they stay in third place. A meeting with Australia awaits if they slip behind India.
| If South Africa beat India, West Indies go through. Semi-finals: England v SA & Australia v West Indies |
| If India beat South Africa, India go through |
| If India restrict SA to 173 or less, semi-finals will be: Australia v England & SA v India |
| If India win but SA score more than 173, semi-finals will be: Australia v India & SA v England |
When England lost to South Africa, the idea of having their fate in their own hands was a good one.
It never seemed likely that Bangladesh would pose a great threat, even if they did give a scare to Australia two days ago, after victories over India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
In their first one-day international against Bangladesh, England had complete control for the majority of the contest and went on to win four in a row.
If England pressed for a bigger margin of victory, they would avoid Australia in the semi-finals.
A full-throttle approach with the bat was made difficult by the worn pitch, and England needed to take care in the early stages.
The target of 235 was more runs than Bangladesh had ever made in a one-day international, so the result was not in doubt at the interval, and England were ruthless in the second half.
In the win over Pakistan, England was boosted by the performances of Brunt and Danni Wyatt, and in Wellington it was Dunkley's turn to prove her worth.
After 26 overs, England were four down and flirting with danger.
Dunkley added 72 with Jones who made 31. When the time came to accelerate, England were able to take 79 off the final 10 overs - an impressive rate of scoring.
The pitch was ideal for England's spinners and left-armer Ecclestone was superb with her bounce and accuracy.
Dean, the off-spinner, was England's find of the tournament, while Davies, the seamer, made her World Cup debut.
Brunt is not thought to be a problem for the semi-finals because of the tightness in her back.
Heather Knight, England captain, said that she would have liked a few more runs, 250/ 260, but the track was very slow. We were efficient with the ball.
The batters have had time to get used to the conditions.
It says a lot about this group, how they have turned things around. We were on the wrong end of a few close ones. I would have taken your hand off a few weeks ago to be in this situation.
Nigar Sultana Joty thinks we need to play more matches. I believe we will learn more. We were going to get a lot of experience.
We want to take all the positives from here. There are a lot of young girls coming into cricket back home and I think after the World Cup there will be more.
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