Listless Bangladesh left to pull off heist after England's 386-6
BCB- Roton Gomes
CF Correspondent
An out-of-sort and jaded Bangladesh turned up against England in their lucky venue Cardiff on Saturday and let England to plunder them at will.
The hosts couldn’t manage to take the score past 400, which looked highly likely but still they compiled a gigantic 386-6 thanks to a blazing 153 runs from opener Jason Roy.
Roy and his fellow opener Johny Bairstow combined for a 128 in just 19.1 overs to set the platform upfront, providing the other batsmen a leeway to make carnage.
Bairstow made 51, his first World Cup fifty and Jos Buttler smashed 44 ball-64. Captain Eoin Morgan chipped-in-with 35 off 33.
It was the highest score of the ongoing World Cup so far and second highest ODI total against Bangladesh.
England’s 391-4 at Nottingham in 2005 remains the highest total against Bangladesh, meaning the top two ODI total against Bangladesh was hold by the English side.
Bangladesh however could find them lucky as England looked to have propelled past 400, only denied by Tigers comparatively good death over bowling. Still England plundered 111 runs for three wickets in the last 10 overs, thanks to Liam Plunkett’s 9 ball-27 not out.
Mohammad Saifuddin and Mehidy Hasan claimed two wickets apiece for Bangladesh, giving away 78 and 67 runs respectively.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza won the toss and elected to bowl first but the decision backfired, with English opener taking the Bangladeshi bowlers in disdain.
Roy set the tone with two boundaries off Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in sixth over and the carnage started which gradually gained momentum.
With English openers looking more threatening, Mashrafe himself gave the side a breakthrough, claiming the wicket of Bairstow.
Nonetheless, with Joe Root in company, Roy seemed to have found his Midas touch, being more attacking ever than before.
Mohammad Saifuddin rattled Root’s stump with a slower delivery, bringing an end to the 77-run partnership. Root made 21.
Meantime, Roy reached his ninth century, with a powerful pull of Mustafizur’s short-of-length delivery but got a boundary due to the misfield. Roy however became the only fifth English opener to score a World Cup century.
Roy then launched Mehidy Hasan Miraz three straight sixes to complete his 150 before the bowler had the last laugh as he went for fourth straight six, only to find Mashrafe at extra cover.
Buttler and captain Eoin Morgan kept up the tempo, having sent the Bangladeshi bowlers receiving end further. But Bangladesh managed to stall the progress, taking out three wickets for 11 runs in two overs, including the set duo and Ben Stokes.
With their dismissal, the fear of 400 was diminished but Chirs Woakes and Liam Plunkett came up with lusty blow to help England set still a improbable target for Bangladesh.
