Bangladesh bowl first; Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood return for England
Sam Curran #SamCurran
England 326 for 7 (Roy 132, Buttler 76) vs Bangladesh
Jason Roy provided the impetus at the top of the order with his 12th ODI century and his second in five innings, as he and Jos Buttler left Bangladesh facing a daunting chase of 327 if they are avoid slumping to their first home series loss since England’s last visit in 2016-17.
Roy struck 18 fours and a six before falling lbw to Shakib Al Hasan for 132 from 124 balls, a magnificent performance that included a crucial stand of 109 in 15.3 mid-innings overs with Buttler, who went on to make 76 from 64 in a typically understated expression of his class in tricky conditions.
Between them, the pair covered off the entirety of England’s first 44 overs, whereupon Moeen Ali and Sam Curran applied a final flourish to a relay-race of an innings, crashing 75 off 54 balls between them as England added a total of 106 in their final ten overs.
England’s hefty total, however, belied the difficulties that another tacky Mirpur pitch had posed to fluent run-scoring – the remainder of England’s top six made 24 runs from 54 balls between them – and that prospect had perhaps influenced Bangladesh’s captain Tamim Iqbal, who opted to bowl after winning the toss, and challenge England to set the tempo with their habitually proactive batting.
Sure enough, Roy’s hard-handed approach caused him a few early scares, particularly off the probing seam of Taskin Ahmed whom he edged short of slip and past his own stumps inside the powerplay. However, his determination not to be cowed by the conditions was the defining aspect of his innings, as he powered England along to a very promising total.
The awkwardness of the conditions was telegraphed by the first three England wickets to fall. Phil Salt cracked his third ball for four but managed just three more singles in a 15-ball stay before fencing Taskin low to Najmul Hossain Shanto at slip, while the introduction of Mehidy Hasan Miraz did for Malan this time, as he played back to his second ball to be pinned plumb lbw for 11.
And at 96 for 3 in the 21st over, England’s promising start was in danger of sliding away, as Taijul combined with his fellow spinner Mehidy to tie down the new man, James Vince, eventually luring him outside his eyeline with extra flight and bounce to induce a nick to the keeper for 5 from 16.
Jos Buttler, however, arrived in a mood to get things moving, with a reverse-sweep for four in the same Taijul over, and continued to work the angles to pick off the spinners with minimum risk before greeting the extra pace of Mustafizur Rahman with a sweetly-struck cover drive to bring up the fifty partnership.
That was the signal for England to pick up their tempo. In Mehidy’s next over, Roy took him down the ground for the first time in the match, with a free-flowing golf swing over long-on for six, and eased through to his hundred from 104 balls in Mustafizur’s next over, with a measured pull out through midwicket.
Roy celebrated with a punch of the air but overall his reaction was muted – perhaps an indication of the struggles he’s endured in recent months, with no scores above fifty in last year’s series against India, South Africa and Australia, and a total of 14 runs from 32 balls since appearing to rediscover his touch in the opening ODI against South Africa in January.
After his century, however, Roy stepped up his tempo with the sort of freedom that has characterised his most domineering displays. England went to drinks with their platform set at 165 for 3, whereupon he crashed five fours in his next 12 balls, including three in an over from the previously threatening Taskin – including a full-toss that wriggled through the sliding Mahmudullah at deep midwicket, as Bangladesh’s heads started to drop.
Shakib struck back in his next over, pinning Roy lbw on the sweep as he attempted one forcing shot too many, whereupon Will Jacks also discovered how difficult it is to force the pace on this surface, as he climbed through a clip off his pads off Taskin and lobbed a simple catch to midwicket for 1 from 4.
At 219 for 5 after 40 overs, however, Buttler took up the cudgels for himself. He clipped Taskin with sublime timing through midwicket to reach his fifty from exactly 50 balls, and after powering England past 250 with back-to-back sixes off Mehidy, it took a brilliant return catch one ball later to cut him off in his prime, as Mehidy stooped low in front of the non-striker’s stumps to cling onto another firm bash down the ground.
Moeen, however, got the memo, carting Mehidy for two more vast sixes over deep midwicket in his next over, en route to a bruising knock of 42 from 35, and when he mistimed a clip to midwicket, Curran clattered through the death overs, with a brace of final-over sixes to finish unbeaten on 33 from 19.