Bangladesh v England, 2nd ODI Review: Bangladesh level the series with an exciting win

Bangladesh scripted a fantastic 34 win over England in the second ODI at the Shere Bangla Stadium to stay alive in the three-match ODI series. It was a fantastic way to avenge the heart-wrenching loss they were handed in the series opener.

Batting first, inspiring performances from Mahmudullah Riyad (75), and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza (44) saw the hosts set a functional target of 238/8. All-rounders Nasir Hossain (27) and Mosaddek Hossain (29) also made valuable contributions. The English bowlers benefitted from the slower pitch that offered grip to the ball making batting bit difficult.

At the end of the first innings, it seemed that England had a superb chance of pocketing the series with a small target to chase. But, England was totally rattled by the Bangladeshi bowlers led by skipper Mashrafe Mortaza (4/29) and Taskin Ahmed (3/47) batsmen.

The game, which was turning out to be a lop-sided affair, was infused with some excitement when the tail-enders staged a fightback. Adil Rashid (33) and Jake Ball (28) kept the hopes of winning the game flickering. But, eventually, their effort wasn’t enough as the hosts folded up them for 204 in 44.4 overs.

The hosts were better at using the conditions to their favor. Left-arm spinner Shakib al Hasan began the defense along with his skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. The decision to start with the spin-pace mixture on the sluggish wicket paid off immediately as the opening bowling pair made quick inroads in the English batting order. Both brought England four down before the end of 10th over to seriously damage the chasing effort.

Mortaza was the first to strike with the wicket of opener Jason Roy and later added his opening partner James Vince and last match’s centurion Ben Stokes to his tally. Shakib al Hasan also removed Ben Duckett, who starred in the previous game, for a duck and gave him a reality check. Batting certainly looked difficult at this stage.

Jonny Bairstow and Skipper Jos Buttler then raised hopes. Both began counter-attacking and releasing the pressure built by the early loss of wickets. Bairstow chose to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard moving. The duo knitted a vital 79 runs stand Buttler, in particular, looked in no problem. His hat-trick of fours off Taskin Ahmed’s bowling in the 17th over made things look bright.

However, under pressure Taskin Ahmed finally found a break-through when he managed to separate the pair with the wicket of Bairstow. This wicket changed the course of the game totally in the favor of the hosts as the English lower order began crumbling helplessly. part timer Nasir Hossain made Moeen Ali depart four overs later and Taskin claimed the all-important wicket of Jos Buttler to virtually seal the match for his team.

However, then came the most interesting part of the match. The trio of Adil Rashid, David Willey, and Jake Ball played useful cameos to make the hosts bit nervous. Together combined, the trio took England from 132/8 before finally getting all out for 204. Willey and Rashid stitched a resilient 27 run stand for the 9th wicket. The 39th over saw the pair getting separated after Mosaddek Hossain broke through with the wicket of Willey who departed after playing a 31 ball innings.

Jake Ball then added more spice to the contest with a quick fire 28 run knock. Rashid also dabbed singles and kept the crowd interested in the game. Unfortunately, the pair was unable to help England script another dramatic upset like they did in the previous game as Mortaza put an end to the fightback with the wicket of Ball.

Brief Scores:

Bangladesh: 238/8 in 50 overs (Mahmudullah 75; Chris Woakes 2/40)

England: 204 in 44.4 overs (Jos Buttler 57; Mashrafe Mortaza 4/29)

Man of the Match: Mashrafe Mortaza