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England finally announced their arrival at the 2023 ICC World Cup on Tuesday, albeit a little later than they would have hoped for.
World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table
The defending champions bounced back in style after being outgunned by New Zealand, who avenged their defeat in the 2019 final with a nine-wicket victory last Thursday. Jos Buttler and Co dished out a comprehensive all-round performance against Bangladesh in the opening game of the Tuesday double-header, walking away with their first points of the campaign with a 137-run victory at Dharamsala’s HPCA Stadium.
For Bangladesh, who are eyeing a maiden top-four finish in ICC’s showpiece event this year, the defeat was a harsh reality check of sorts, and caused a big dent in their Net Run Rate. A dent that could cost them dear when the tournament moves closer to the knockout stage, and one that will need addressing on the part of the Tigers on a priority basis.
The two sides had entered Match 7 of the ongoing tournament on level terms as far as their head-to-head record in ICC World Cups was concerned, entering at 2-2 and looking to regain the lead. Bangladesh had defeated England in back-to-back World Cup meetings in 2011 and 2015, the first of which took place in the subcontinent.
The manner with which England dismantled Bangladesh on Tuesday, though, ultimately highlighted just how lethal the current white-ball side led by Buttler and coached by Matthew Mott are, and underlined their credentials as a side capable of becoming only the third team in the history of the World Cup to win consecutive editions.
A beautiful speech from @Root66 on an incredibly special day for @JBairstow21 🥰 #EnglandCricket | #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/yilc6fkqIR
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 10, 2023
Central to England’s clinical victory on Tuesday though, was Dawid Malan’s breathtaking assault of the Bangladeshi attack
Malan hunts Tigers down
England had tried various combinations at the top of their batting order in ODIs this year and Dawid Malan has featured in a majority of them. Despite being a first-choice pick for the opener’s position, Malan had been under a bit of pressure to keep his place as Jonny Bairstow’s opening partner.
Not only was age not on the 36-year-old’s side, but Harry Brook’s late inclusion in the World Cup squad at the expense of Jason Roy made one assume the team leadership certainly was interested in seeing him open sooner rather than later.
Malan however, is here to stay and has managed to silence his doubters for now, if he hadn’t done that already during the four-ODI series against New Zealand at home right before the World Cup.
If an indifferent 24-ball 14 against the Black Caps in the World Cup opener put his spot under a bit of pressure, he did well to alleviate those concerns with a magnificent 140 off just 107 deliveries that played a key role in helping the ‘Three Lions’ post a winning total on the board after being invited to bat for a second time in a row.
The southpaw had a mini-scare early in his innings after a caught-behind appeal off Mustafizur Rahman’s bowling while batting on 4. After the third umpire’s decision went his way, Malan responded with a four and a six off consecutive deliveries from ‘Fizz’ — driving past mid off followed by a heave behind square for a maximum.
Malan would repeat the treatment in the senior left-arm pacer’s next over, collecting a six and a four off consecutive deliveries, signalling a shift in momentum, and the team fifty would come up in quick time thereafter.
There was no looking back for the Middlesex batter from thereon as he would take the attack to Bangladesh’s spin department — comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahedi Hasan. Shakib and Mehidy had made good use of the grip and turn on offer to restrict Afghanistan to 156 in their opening game on Saturday.
England, and especially Malan, though, was an entirely different beast and the Bangladeshi spinners found themselves in a helpless position during the middle overs of the English innings, with the possibility of conceding a 400-plus total looming large.
It wasn’t the type of slam-bang innings from Malan that you would normally associate with individuals such as Buttler, Brook and others, but the southpaw did enough to keep England’s run-rate well above seven and would bring up his maiden World Cup hundred — becoming the oldest English batter to do so — in 91 deliveries.
Men older than Dawid Malan (36y 37d) when scoring their first World Cup century:
Ed Joyce (36y 166d, Ire v Zim, 2015)
Sunil Gavaskar (38y 113d, Ind v NZ, 1987)
(Also, in Women’s World Cups: Barbara Bevege (39y 48d, NZ v International XI, 1982))#CWC2023
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) October 10, 2023
Malan appeared to have shifted to another gear after bringing up the three-figure mark, two fours and as many sixes in a space of four deliveries from Mehidy in a 22-run over, and appeared well on his way to break Andrew Strauss’ record for the highest World Cup knock by an Englishman (158 vs India in 2011) when he was cleaned up by Mahedi with one that skidded through and hit the off pole.
Bangladesh’ top order crumbles under pressure
Bangladesh did well in the back end of the England innings to restrict the defending champions to a total well below the 400-mark. England were 298/3 at the end of the second powerplay with a well-set Joe Root batting on 80 alongside Harry Brook with a plenty of batting to come. Mahedi and left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam led the way in the third powerplay, sharing five wickets between them in this phase before Taskin Ahmed removed Chris Woakes in the final over, as England could manage just 66 runs for the loss of six wickets in their last 10 overs.
However, a target of 365 is still as daunting as it can get, and Bangladesh needed a solid display from their top four if they were to conquer the Herculean task that lay ahead of them. And opener Litton Das gave the handful of Bangladeshi fans at the scenic HPCA Stadium and millions back home and around the world genuine hope of pulling off a miracle when he smashed a hat-trick of boundaries off Woakes in the first over of the chase.
Left-arm pacer Reece Topley, who had made his comeback into the English one-day attack during the series against New Zealand, dented those hopes in the very next over by getting rid of Tanzid Hasan and the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto off successive deliveries, the latter departing for a golden duck after a fifty-plus score in each of his last four outings.
Topley then inflicted a body blow to the Tigers’ hopes by cleaning up Shakib in this third over with a pearler, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 26/3. Chris Woakes would get rid of Mehidy — who had also starred with the bat in Bangladesh’s victory over Afghanistan — for 8 in the ninth over as Bangladesh were reduced to 49/4 chasing 365 to win.
Though Litton (76) and senior batter Mushfiqur Rahim (51) tried their best in reviving the Bangladeshi chase in the middle overs, with 72 and 43 runs being added to the fifth and sixth wickets, it ultimately only helped the Tigers reduce the damage caused to their Net Run Rate and lend some respectability to their batting performance on the day, guiding them past the 200-mark.
While their latest performance certainly has made England the team to watch out for going forward, it’s back to the drawing board for Shakib and Co, and building partnerships at the top of the order will be a key area of focus for the side heading into their next fixture, against New Zealand on a spin-friendly Chennai.
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