BAN v ENG, 1st ODI Review: Bangladesh throw away victory

In spite of a century from the irresistible Imrul Kayes, Bangladesh shot themselves in the foot by losing a flurry of wickets towards the end of the innings. Jake Ball and Adil Rashid were the stars of the show as Jos Buttler got his captaincy underway with an unlikely win in the first ODI. Ben Stokes initially got the ball rolling as England claim the first ODI in the BAN v ENG ODI series.

Buttler won his first toss as captain and elected to bat first. With the wicket expected to become tougher to bat on in the second innings, the decision seemed quite easy. What was even more impressive was the fact that his batsmen began to respond in the form of some solidity with the bat from Jason Roy.

However, Ben Duckett who was making his debut along with Ben Stokes began to impress. While Stokes was playing in a league of his own, Duckett was perhaps the most impressive as he soaked up the pressure on debut. Although he did not smash the ball a long way as he does in county cricket, Duckett impressed by playing second fiddle to the massive innings from Ben Stokes.

The duo stitched an impressive 153-run partnership, one of the highest for any wickets for England in ODI cricket. Ben Stokes notched up his first ODI ton with a massive 101. He also was the beneficiary of a few dropped catches when he was aided and abetted by the Bangladesh fielders.

Also check out – Twitter Reactions: Cricketing universe wishes Zaheer Khan on his birthday

Skipper Jos Buttler added the finishing touches to the innings when he smashed 63 runs from just 38 deliveries including 3 boundaries and 4 sixes. Needless to say, England notched up 309 valuable runs, something that did look marginally secure against a difficult Bangladesh batting unit.

Although the Bangladesh innings got off to somewhat of a flier, it was clear that one of the batsmen had to step up and bat out of their skins. The chosen one, in this case, was Imrul Kayes. The southpaw signaled his intent early on in the innings when he smashed the ball into the stands in the opening powerplay.

However, with a few wickets falling in tandem, the innings Kayes was playing seemed quite important at the time. He was joined by another senior batsman in Shakib Al Hasan. It was only in this partnership that Bangladesh got out ahead and began to take the fight to England.

Shakib, in particular, was severe on the England bowlers as he smashed them out of the park. He looked like a man possessed as well as someone who seemed hell-bent on securing a victory for his team. He compiled 79 off just 55 deliveries including 10 boundaries and a six, something that put the hosts in the best possible position to claim a win.

Also read – Bangladesh v England, 1st ODI: 5 Talking Points

However, it took some inspired bowling changes from Jos Buttler, who looked somewhat zapped and emotional to pick a few wickets at the death. Jake Ball and Adil Rashid stepped up to the plate as they claimed 5 and 4 wickets respectively as England coasted to a hard-fought 21-run win, significantly beating the odds. Jake Ball was awarded the man of the match award for his efforts with the ball.

Brief Scores:

England: 309/8 in 50 overs (B Stokes 101; M Mortaza 2/52)

Bangladesh: 288 all out in 47.5 overs (I Kayes 112; J Ball 5/48)

Man of the Match: Jake Ball