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• Karishma Ramharack leads the way as Windies trounce Bangladesh by eight wickets to go top of Group B

  West Indies’ spinners denied Bangladesh a defendable total before they chased down 104 with 7.1 overs to spare for an eight-wicket win at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

  Karishma Ramharack restricted Bangladesh each time they looked to kick on, taking four for 17 as they set the Windies 104 to win.

  An injured Stafanie Taylor batted valiantly to take West Indies to the verge of winning before Deandra Dottin sealed it with two huge sixes.

  Scores: Bangladesh 103/8 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 39, Dilara Akter 19; Karishma Ramharack 4/17, Afy Fletcher 2/25); West Indies 104/2 in 12.5 overs (Hayley Matthews 34, Stafanie Taylor 27; Marufa Akter 1/20, Nahida Akter 1/22)

  Bangladesh were put into bat and started nervously with Dilara Akter unsettled by two deliveries from Chinelle Henry before crunching her for the first four of the match to show attacking intent. Shathi Rani immediately followed up with a four of her own off the first ball from Hayley Matthews, but the promising partnership ended at just 18 runs after Shathi was stumped by Shemaine Campbelle off the bowling of Ramharack.

  Two overs later, Ramharack’s return to the attack again brought a wicket as Dilara departed for 19 with Bangladesh ending the powerplay on 33 for two. By the ninth over, Bangladesh were facing the choice between stick or twist and captain Nigar Sultana Joty made the decision up against Afy Fletcher.

  Two runs off the first ball was followed by back-to-back fours before Deandra Dottin failed to get her fingers fully under a diving catch with Nigar on 13. The skipper made the Windies pay with a final boundary to take 14 off the over, and at the halfway stage Bangladesh were on target for their highest score at a T20 World Cup at 58 for two.

  Campbelle was consistently in the game and almost had a second stumping but her take to dismiss Nigar was judged to have been in front of the stumps. The resulting no ball was smashed for four to add insult to injury before Ramharack got a third wicket in her third over as Sobhana Mostary was out for 16 having moved to 96 runs for the tournament – the joint third-best at this World Cup.

  Bangladesh were rocked as Fletcher took two in two balls to reduce them to 75 for five with the same happening in the final over as Nigar departed for 39 to Rahmarack, as the Tigers reached 103 for eight.

  Bangladesh would have been buoyed by the complete spin dominance among West Indies’ wicket takers however, taking wickets proved an issue for Bangladesh as Matthews and opening partner Taylor compiled 48 runs for no loss in the powerplay.

  Taylor was showing clear discomfort having injured herself with some heroic fielding early in Bangladesh’s innings and they were then struck by their own injury worry as Nigar required treatment on her knee before she could continue.

  After that stoppage, the breakthrough finally came through Marufa Akter who clean-bowled Matthews for 34 from 22. A second wicket could have come eight balls later, but Sobhana could not hold onto a shot from Taylor who survived on 23.

  Taylor added four runs to her score before she retired hurt and Dottin came out to bat with Windies needing 31 to win with 60 balls remaining.

  Dottin sensed the chance to get the victory wrapped up quickly and took it with two sixes in three balls to set up an exciting clash with England on Tuesday. 

• 'Cool' England records would mean more with a win, says Root

  Joe Root says the records that have been broken in England's match against Pakistan will mean a lot more if they come in a victory.

  England are in a strong position heading into day five in Multan, after a dominant display of force with both the bat and ball on a record-breaking day on Thursday left Pakistan requiring 115 runs with four wickets remaining, while the tourists also have a second batting innings in hand.

  Root, who on Wednesday became England's all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket, put on a partnership of 454 with Harry Brook, who plundered 317.

  Former England captain Root was eventually dismissed for 262, his highest individual score, bringing an end to the fourth-highest partnership of any wicket in Test cricket history.

  Brook, meanwhile, became the second-fastest player to reach 300 in terms of balls faced, as he became the sixth England player to hit a triple-century and put Brendan McCullum's team on the fourth-highest score in a single Test innings (823-7 declared).

  Reflecting on the records while speaking to BBC Test Match Special, Root said: "They are pretty cool things. It would mean a lot more if we can win this Test match. You look at the situation where they had 556 on the scoreboard and to be this ahead in the game is the best thing.

  "So many good things have come from it and I am very pleased for Harry. I've never seen an England batter get a 300 and that was nice to watch.

  "It's obviously nice and I am sure when I finish my career, I will look back and feel good about it. It will be a nice thing to look back on at the right time. I want to contribute for a long while and make big scores like this one and hopefully win more Test matches for England."

  The celebrations from Brook and Root were not huge, and Root put that down to fatigue.

  "There was a lack of emotions, partly down to the heat. Just the amount of energy that is taken out of you playing in these conditions is huge. It's been quite pleasing to acclimatise and just drawing that mental resilience," he said.

  "I make sure I do the work and put myself in some really tough situations in training so that I am really ready for these conditions.

  "I know I can bat for long periods of time and when it gets tough, I can get through it."

• Southgate not planning on swift return to management

  Gareth Southgate will not be taking another management job within the next year, and he is unlikely to work with another national team.

  Southgate resigned as England manager following the Three Lions' 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, bringing to an end an 11-year association with the FA.

  The 54-year-old was in charge of the senior team for eight years and, within that period, led them to the finals of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, as well as the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.

  In terms of tournament performance, he was the most successful England manager since Alf Ramsey, who led England to the 1966 World Cup – their only major honour.

  "Sometimes when you are in a big role you don't realise the weight until it's gone," Southgate told the European Club Association's general assembly, as reported by Reuters.

  "It is one of those jobs where everybody has an opinion."

  On life after the England job, Southgate was relaxed about where his next move would be. Despite that, he made it clear that he wasn’t going to take any coaching job in the near future.

  "I am enjoying my life, so there is no rush. For 11 years I committed fully to the national federation," he said.

  “I won't coach in the next year for sure. I am certain of that. When you come out of a big role you need to give your body time, your mind time."

  Southgate has, in recent times, been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Manchester United's decision-makers having reportedly considered him as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag.

  While it is unclear how his self-enforced break from working will impact that, he confirmed that he would be open on a return to domestic football as long as the role was right.

  "Club football? Depending on what role that is," Southgate said.

  "I have been fortunate to have worked with fantastic players. You got to have excitement, passion to go to work every day.

  One thing it seems like Southgate will not do, meanwhile, is work with another national team.

  "It is unlikely to be another national federation. England was from the heart," he said