DHAKA: Dawood Malan’s unbeaten century helped world champions England beat Bangladesh by three wickets in the first one-day international of the three-match series on Wednesday.
Set a modest target of 210 thanks to Najamul Hussain Shanto’s maiden ODI fifty, England looked in trouble at 65-4 after the hosts dismissed Jos Buttler, Jason Roy and James Vince cheaply but Malan Held the innings together. 114 off 145 balls to take the touring side to the finish line with eight balls to spare.
The left-hander hit eight fours and four sixes but more importantly held his nerve when the wickets fell on a tricky surface at the other end and scored his fourth century with a boundary in the 46th over. of Backing up Adil Rashid (17 not out) towards the end, he hit another fence to settle the contest.
“I’ve spent a lot of time here in Bangladesh and at this ground and it definitely helps to get a bit of experience,” said player-of-the-match Milan, who plays domestic cricket in the country. It didn’t look easy. I said to Jos Buttler that if they had got another 30-40 it would have been incredibly difficult to chase but the way we hung in there with the ball and after a good start they Left behind.
“We were expecting to lose wickets on a pitch like this. I don’t think you can go out thinking you’re going to knock it down two. Satisfying to cross the line, handling the pressure is part of the job.
Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Rashid took two wickets each and Shantu scored 58 runs off 82 balls.
The hosts got off to a good start after opting to bat first, with captain Tamim Iqbal scoring 23 runs. But after Chris Woakes got the first breakthrough with the wicket of Liton Das, England struck whenever the partnership was building.
Tamim was bowled by Wood before the spinners were called into action, as England gave South Asian teams valuable practice ahead of defending their ODI World Cup crown in India later this year.
Moeen bowled Shakibul Hasan for eight before Rashid took the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim. Shantu and Mahmudullah Riaz (31) put on a 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket before falling in consecutive overs. Debutant Will Jacks took the wicket of Afif Hussain three overs later, squandering Bangladesh’s remaining chance of building a big total.
England got off to a poor start with the bat, with Taijul Islam taking 3-54 and the other bowlers excelling as Bangladesh made it a low-scoring match.
With the help of Shakib, Mehdi Miraz and Tasin Ahmad, Roy, Buttler and Vince all out in single-digit scores, the visitors collapsed to 103-5 at the half of the innings.
Jacques scored a brilliant 26 and then Moeen gave Milan some help in a crucial sixth-wicket stand of 38 before Mehdi dismissed him for 14.
However, Malan, who featured alongside Moeen in the recent Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, remained steadfast to keep England in the hunt.
Tamim took a fine diving catch at mid-on and dismissed Woakes for seven off Taijul to put the game under some tension with England still needing 49 runs. To complete the win.