England beat Bangladesh by 106 runs in their World Cup match to go to second on the points table, only behind New Zealand, for the moment.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes took three wickets each to get Bangladesh all out for 280 in Cardiff on Saturday (Reuters Photo)
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!England beat Bangladesh by 106 runs in their World Cup 2019 match at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Saturday. With this win, England currently occupy second place on the points table, only behind New Zealand. Bangladesh have now gone down to two defeats in three matches and are eighth on the table.
Toss: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and elected to field first.
First Innings: Jason Roy scored 153 at the top of the order for England. Mashrafe Mortaza claimed the wicket of Jonny Bairstow (51) after a 128-run opening partnership and Saifuddin claimed the wicket of Joe Root (21). After a cautious start against left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, the England openers dominated Bangladesh bowlers. Roy and Bairstow put on 128 runs for the first wicket. Jos Buttler played through some physical discomfort to score 64, in the process scoring the joint fastest fifty of this World Cup. Eoin Morgan (35) and Ben Stokes (6) departed in quick succession to dent England’s hopes of posting the first 400+ score of the tournament. Chris Woakes (18) and Liam Plunkett (25) went on a rampage in the last few overs to help England post a massive 386/6 in 50 overs.
Second Innings: Shakib al Hasan scored a great 119-ball 121 before being bowled by Ben Stokes for Bangladesh in their chase of 387 against England in Cardiff. Shakib brought up his century in 95 balls. After Shakib’s wicket, Bangladesh lost their way, losing wickets as the required run rate kept creeping up. They finally lost by 106 runs, with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes taking three wickets each. Opener Soumya Sarkar (2) was castled by Jofra Archer’s blistering pace early on and Tamim Iqbal (19) then offered a catch to Eoin Morgan at cover. Mushfiqur Rahim (41) put on a 106-run partnership with Shakib. Mohammad Mithun (0) lasted for only two balls. Joffra Archer bowled the fastest ball of the World Cup, clocked at 153 kph or 95 mph. The record was broken soon after, when Mark Wood clocked a 154 kph delivery.
Game Changer: Jason Roy was adjudged to be the Man of the Match but no less important was the opening spell by Jofra Archer (3/29). The blistering pace he registered, often crossing 150-kph on the speedometer, pegged the Bangladeshi batting lineup back straightaway, not allowing them to get the start required in such a big chase. Archer accounted for the wicket of opener Soumya Sarkar with an unplayable delivery, coming back into the attack late in the match to snare two more victims.
Mashrafe Mortaza: 386 is too many, credit goes to their batsmen. It’s very difficult to get him (Roy) once he gets set. We knew we had to get Roy out, only then we could have come back in the match. The pitch was under cover for one and a half days, so it was a straight decision to bowl first. We need luck sometimes to get those wickets. 330 could have been a different chase but as I said this score was too much. Shakib is batting so well for us at number 3. His bowling also has been fantastic. Still six matches to go and hopefully others step up in those games. Very important matches coming up.
Eoin Morgan: The two boys at the top (openers) laid a solid platform as Jason (Roy) managed to get a significant score. He’s very intimidating to play against and the impact he has against oppositions is significant. With Jos Buttler coming in and Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett – all of them contributed. I think majority of the teams will open with spin against us as it worked in the first game. With Archer, Wood, Woakes, Stokes in the bowling, it’s outstanding. They’re wonderful to captain and today was no different. No serious concern with Jos (Buttler) at the moment. He didn’t keep as a precautionary measure and will be monitored in the next 48 hours.
Brief Scores: ENG 386/6 (50) | BAN 280 all out (48.5)
