CT 2017, Match 1, ENG v BAN – England Player Ratings

The much-awaited tournament of the year, the ICC Champions Trophy finally got underway as the hosts England took on Bangladesh in the inaugural match. The warm-up matches were high-scoring and had given us the idea of how the pitches will behave in the tournament. The first game also turned out to be a feast for the batsmen as both teams scored in excess of 300.

England opted to bowl first after winning the toss. The Bangladesh openers added 56 runs for the first wicket before Soumya Sarkar went back in the 12th over. Imrul Kayes departed soon after but Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim jelled together pretty well and added 166 runs for the 3rd wicket. Tamim made a wonderful century with the wicket-keeper batsman getting a fifty. A cameo from Sabbir propelled them to a score of 305/6 at the end of 50 overs.

The chase didn’t begin well for England as they lost Jason Roy for just 1 run. But Alex Hales and Joe Root steadied the ship and put together a stand of 159 runs before the former departed for 95. Root wasn’t troubled by that and went on to score a magnificent century. The skipper Morgan played an able support to him as England chased the total down in the 48th over and won the match by 8 wickets.

Here’s how the English players performed in the match:

Jason Roy – 1/10

The opening batsman had a forgettable time in the first encounter as he could just score 1 run. He had played 7 deliveries and scored only 1 run and in the hunt to break the shackles, he tried to play the scoop shot off Mashrafe Mortaza but a miscue gave a catch to the short fine-leg fielder.

Alex Hales – 9/10

After the early departure of Roy, England were in trouble at 6/1 after 2.3 overs. They were in dire need of a partnership to chase down the big score. Hales did the job beautifully and revived the innings. He scored 95 off just 86 balls with 11 fours and 2 sixes but lost his wicket in a bid to go for the big shot in the 28th over and missed the well deserved century.

Joe Root – 9.5/10

Root walked in to bat at the fall of Roy and England needed him to stick for a while. He not only stuck but didn’t leave until the job was done. He scored a superb 133 off 129 balls with 11 fours and a six. He was struggling with his ankle and had troubles while running but he remained unbeaten till the end and hit the winning runs.

Eoin Morgan – 8.5/10

The skipper found himself at the crease at 165/2 after 27 overs and there were still plenty of runs to get for England. He ensured there were no further hiccups in the chase and made 75 off 61 balls that included 8 fours and 2 sixes. Morgan stayed until the end and added 143 runs for the 3rd wicket alongside Root.

Ben Stokes – 6.5/10

The all-rounder passed the fitness test before the game and made an immediate impact while bowling his first over of the innings. He removed Soumya Sarkar in the 12th over just when he was starting to look dangerous. Stokes ended with figures of 42/1 from 7 overs and wasn’t required to bat during England’s chase.

Moeen Ali – 5/10

The off-spinner bowled during that phase of the Bangladesh innings when Tamim and Mushfiqur were steadying the ship. The duo didn’t take too many risks against Moeen and maneuvered him for singles and doubles. He remained wicketless and conceded 40 runs in 8 overs with a maiden.

Chris Woakes – 4/10

Woakes began beautifully with a maiden over first up and then gave away 4 runs in the second over. But just then, a thigh niggle forced him to go off the field and he couldn’t make a comeback to bowl any further.

Liam Plunkett – 8.5/10

Plunkett proved to be the pick of the bowlers when others were taken for plenty. He first removed Imrul Kayes when he was settling in and then sent back Tamim and Mushfiqur off successive deliveries that halted Bangladesh’s progress. Then, he scalped Sabbir to end with impressive figures of 59/4 in 10 overs.

Mark Wood – 5/10

Wood bowled his 5 overs in the first powerplay and conceded just 19 runs that included a maiden. Even after his second spell, he had decent figures of 29/0 in 7 overs. But he received a hammering at the slog overs that dented the figures to 58/0 after 10 overs.

Jake Ball – 4/10

The pacer had a terrible time at the Oval as he was taken to the cleaners by the Bangladeshi batsmen. He conceded 82 runs in 10 overs and was hit for at least a boundary in 8 of those overs. His only pleasant moment arrived when he bagged the wicket of Shakib during the death overs.

Jos Buttler – N/A

Buttler didn’t get a chance to bat in England’s innings and his contributions were limited to just keeping.