Shobana Mostray’s maiden international half-century and a quickfire 43 not out off just 27 balls by Rabeya Khan had allowed Bangladesh to post a competitive total despite only two other batters reaching double figures.

But Knight, playing her first international innings since tearing her hamstring from the bone during a T20I against West Indies in May, gritted her teeth, ground out the runs and rode her luck – overturning dismissals on 0, 8 and 13 – to lead England home. Her unbroken stand for the seventh wicket with Charlie Dean, worth 79 in 100 balls, sealed the result with 23 balls to spare.

Marufa broke the game open with a stunning five-over opening spell in which she had England two wickets down – it could have been three – with just 29 runs on the board inside the first seven overs.

In an eventful start to the run chase, England lost opener Amy Jones lbw to Marufa at the end of the first over and, two balls later, saw Marufa drop a sitter at cover off Tammy Beaumont, on 2 at the time, off the bowling of Nahida Akter.

There was more drama as Marufa sought to make amends with the first ball of her next over and thought she had Knight caught behind but Knight survived on review with TV umpire Gayathri Venugopalan initially saying there was inconclusive evidence that the bat made contact with the ball while another angle gave the hint of a gap.

Marufa ultimately covered for her fielding error when she pinned Beaumont on the front pad, although it took a Bangladesh review this time to secure the dismissal with the batter on 13. Four balls later, Knight denied Marufa again when she overturned an lbw decision as replays showed that the ball going would be going over.

With Knight looking far from fluent, Nat Sciver-Brunt, her successor as England captain, helped herself to three fours off Marufa’s next over.

Knight continued to lead a charmed life, scratching her way to 13 off 38 balls when she spooned Fahima to Shorna Akter at cover and walked off, only to be recalled as TV umpire said there was “inconclusive” evidence that the fielder had her fingers under the ball.

Marufa left the field with what appeared to be a calf problem and didn’t return, leaving Nigar without a seam option.

Bangladesh stuck to their task and were rewarded when Fahima removed Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley in the space of four deliveries, the former chipping to midwicket and the latter trapped lbw as Clarie Polosak’s on-field decision was upheld in the face of England’s review.

Emma Lamb managed just 1 off 12 deliveries before picking out Nahida Akter at mid-on, although Fahima and Bangladesh had to wait anxiously for confirmation of her third wicket as the TV umpire again checked the catch, which was eventually deemed clean.

Sanjiida Akter Meghala the left-arm spinner brought to combat an England batting line-up stacked with right-handers, struck just as Alice Capsey threatened to dig them out of trouble, rapping the back leg in line with the top of leg stump. Capsey was so half-hearted in her call for the now-overworked DRS that her signal was deemed too late and it was just as well for England with replays showing that the ball was on target.

Knight’s most productive shot in a laboured innings had been the sweep and she swept Shorna for four to move into the 30s before shimmying down the pitch and clubbing Meghla down the ground for four more.

From that point, Knight looked settled, reaching her 50 in 86 deliveries, having been 15 off 50. She and Dean settled into a rhythm, Dean striking the winning runs with four off Mostary to finish 27 not out.

Collectively, England’s spinners kept a lid on the Bangladesh line-up, despite the best efforts of Nigar, who was extremely vocal from the dugout long after she was caught by Dean off the bowling of Linsey Smith for a second-ball duck.

She had good reason to shout. By the 30-over mark, her side had faced 136 dot balls and they went 61 deliveries without a boundary before Mostary struck back-to-back fours off Sciver-Brunt in the 31st, punching through the covers and prodding through third.

Sophie Ecclestone finished with three wickets while fellow left-arm spinner Smith, who had been England’s chief destroyer against South Africa, finished with 2 for 33.

Offspinners Dean and Capsey bowled with good economy also to secure two wickets apiece, the latter accounting for Mostary for a 108-ball 60 in a double-wicket strike in the 47th over.

That was after Mostary had become only the third Bangladesh player to score a Women’s World Cup half-century.

It took an England review to remove Mostary after Capsey got one to spin back from just outside off and hit the pad high in line with middle stump as the batter sat back in her crease.

Rabeya hit the first six of the match, off Smith in the final over, clearing the towering Bell just inside the boundary at long-on and followed up immediately with four through fine leg. But, having taken a single, Sanjida then chipped the next ball straight to Sciver-Brunt as Bangladesh narrowly failed to bat out their 50 overs.

Brief scores:
England Women  182 for 6 in 46.1 overs (Heather Knight 79*, Nat Sciver Brunt 32, Alice Capsey 20, Charlie Dean 27*; Fahima Khatun  3-16, Marufa Akter  2-28) beat Bangladesh Women  178 in 49.4 overs (Shamin Akhter 30, Sobhana Mostary 60, Rabeya Khan 43*; Linsey Smith 2-33, Sophie  Ecclestone 3-24, Charlie Dean 2-28, Alice Capsey 2-31) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]