Ater a nightmarish experience at the hands of New Zealand, England bounced back in style with a massive 137-run win over Bangladesh in Dharamsala. After a devastating new-ball burst from Reece Topley, Bangladesh were never likely to chase down a target of 365, and eventually ended up with just 227.
England’s huge win was built on the performances of two players – Topley (4-43) and Dawid Malan (140). The 6’7″ Topley, who was inexplicably left out of the opening game against New Zealand, snuffed out Bangladesh’s small window of opportunity to chase down a monstrous target in his first over itself. The fourth ball of that over was back of a length and seamed away as Tanzid Hasan could only edge it to the slip cordon. Najmul Shanto was then dismissed for no score, caught at backward point. This time, a hint of swing did the trick for Topley.
In the sixth over, Topley left Bangladesh in dire straits with a peach of a delivery that came in with the angle and perhaps straightened a bit to rattle the timber and send back Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh skipper. When Topley returned for a spell later on in the innings, he bagged his fourth scalp by removing Mushfiqur Rahim for 51 to leave Bangladesh six down. By then, Bangladesh seemed to just be trying to bat out the overs.
Seam movement and swing with the new ball, augmented by the left-arm angle and bounce – Topley certainly put on a masterclass. Chris Woakes did go for more than six an over but ended up with two wickets, while Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone had one scalp each. For Bangladesh, Litton Das top-scored with a breezy 66-ball 76.
The other key figure in England’s thumping victory was Malan. Malan, a 36-year-old left-hand batter, cracked his sixth ODI hundred in just his 23th game to set the platform a sizeable score. It was a quintessential innings from Malan. He began on a rather cautious note, and it was only in the fifth over that he opened up his shoulders by essaying the drive and a hoick across the line off Mustafizur Rahman.
Malan then employed his favourite shot – the drive – time and again. He was also ready to play against the turn while facing the off-spin of Mehidy Hasan. Jonny Bairstow also essayed a flurry of boundaries as the opening pair put on a partnership of 115. Once Bairstow was dismissed by Shakib, Malan found an able ally in Joe Root (82 runs), with the pair adding a further 181 runs.
Ultimately, Malan was castled by Mahedi Hasan. England suffered a mini-collapse as they lost Jos Buttler, Root and Livingstone in quick succession. Harry Brook, Curran, Woakes and Rashid did reach double-digit scores but none of them were able to turbocharge the engine at the back end of the innings.
Bangladesh’s bowlers also deserve some praise for pulling things back a bit. Mahedi showcased bowling smarts by mixing up his pace and took a four-for, while Shoriful Islam used the knuckle-ball and off-cutter to pick up three wickets. Bangladesh’s fielding too was top-notch at the business end of the innings.
On a side note, there were a few issues related to the much-talked-about outfield and the run-up area, with a few fielders facing a problem or two while diving. Meanwhile, Topley seemed to stretch his leg a bit during one of his overs. However, both camps would be pleased that there were no injuries to report.