Bangladesh can be considered as the “bogey team” for the English champions since they have suffered defeats at the hands of the Tigers in two of the last three World Cup tournaments. The Bengal Tigers were feeling buoyant after their demolition job against Afghanistan. England had a contrasting start in the tournament by suffering a heavy defeat against New Zealand. The quaint Dharamshala ground was the venue for this exciting clash between two teams with different World Cup pedigrees.
Team Lineups
Both teams opted for an extra bowling action on the tricky track of Dharamshala. Reece Topley comes in for the experienced Moeen Ali. Mahmudullah Riyad is replaced by young Sheikh Mahedi. Ben Stokes is yet to play in this tournament as his recuperation continues from a sore hip.
England
- Jonny Bairstow 2. Dawid Malan 3. Joe Root 4. Harry Brook 5. Jos Buttler (Cap.) (WK) 6. Liam Livingstone 7. Sam Curran 8. Chris Woakes 9. Adil Rashid 10. Mark Wood 11. Reece Topley
Bangladesh
- Tanzid Hasan 2. Liton Das 3. Najmul Hossain Shanto 4. Shakib Al Hasan (Cap.) 5. Mehidy Hasan 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (WK) 7. Towhid Hridoy 8. Mahedi Hasan 9. Taskin Ahmed 10. Shoriful Islam 11. Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladeshi skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and sent England to bat first.
Fixture
| Venue | The 7th game of the 2023 World Cup was played at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, Uttar Pradesh |
| Date | The game started from 10:30 am IST on Tuesday, October 10 |
Captaincy & Tactics
Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to send England to bat first seemed like a naive one as the English openers asserted control early on. There was a movement for the pacers with the new ball, but the Bangladeshi fast bowlers failed to make the most of the existing condition.
The English openers cruised to 61-0 after 10 overs. Shakib introduced spin on the 9th over of the innings to stop the hemorrhaging flow of runs. Bangladeshi pacers eventually got success after taking pace off the ball.
Joss Butler’s job was made easy by the brilliant first spell by Reece Topley. Butler was using his spinner’s sparingly, pace was his go-to option. He put Livingstone on to the attack and the part-time spinner got the prized wicket of Towhid Hridoy who showed resilience.
Batting Analysis
Dawid Malan is the quickest to reach 6th ODI centuries in just 23 innings. The left-hander used the pull shot to maximum effect with 29 runs scored from this stroke. He was hitting boundaries for fun, yet he maintained 81% control after surviving a few early scares.
Joe Root was averaging only 23.06 in ODIs before the World Cup. But the man for the big occasion delivered once again with an innings typifying his flexibility and innovativeness. The English legend enjoys his batting in India with a healthy average of 50.10.
England looked to be well on course for a 400+ score, but they lost their way after Malan got out on the 38th over. Buttler, Brook, and Livingstone failed to make their mark on the innings.
Tanzid Hasan is yet to transform his talent into runs as he struggles against the new ball and is exposed once again. He averages only 6.66 in his short 6-innings career and may find himself dropped to the bench if the situation doesn’t improve.
Liton Das hit form just at the right time. After his 800 runs in 2022, the wicketkeeper-batsman has formed the bad habit of getting out cheaply. He was hitting the ball through the line and scored 56% of his runs on the leg side. He found a perfect partner in Mushfiqur Rahim as the duo slowly put Bangladesh back in the hunt. But the effort was not enough and Bangladesh ended up falling well short of the target.
Bowling Analysis
After giving away 46 in the first spell, Shoriful Islam’s slower deliveries worked like magic on an unpredictable pitch. He also used the knuckleball to uproot Jos Buttler’s timbers. Shoriful is enjoying life in 2023, he has picked up 21 wickets at an average of 18.90, striking in every 21.2 balls.
Mahedi Hasan justified his inclusion by taking a four-wicket haul. His record figures in ODI cricket cost him 71 runs as he was giving the ball air regularly. England suffered a batting collapse and managed 98 runs in the 76 balls, losing 8 wickets in the process.
England’s bowling performance was all about one man – Reece Topley. The towering pacer from Ipswich used his height well, he was swinging the ball away from the left-handers. He is especially lethal in the second innings of the match with 33 wickets taken at an average of 22.87.
Topley picked up Tanzid and Shanto in successive balls, then Shakib Al Hasan survived the hat-trick ball. He eventually got the better of the Bangladeshi captain by bowling him out with a skidding delivery.
Chris Woakes was guilty of being wayward with line and length early on. Woakes used his experience well to finish with a figure of 2/49. Each of Curran, Rashid, Wood, and Livingstone got a wicket apiece.
Fielding Analysis
Nazmul Hossain has been an exemplary fielder for the Bangladesh National Team and he enhanced his reputation with another eye-catching show. First, he ran for 20 meters to take a low diving catch of Sam Curran. Then he combined with Towhid Hridoy to complete a relay catch on the boundary. The overall fielding performance by Bangladesh was average with some poor throwing.
Reece Topley dropped Mahedi at mid-on, the only blemish in his rather perfect performance. Jos Buttler was in his brilliant self behind the stump with two catches.
Key Performances
Dawid Malan scored more than one-third of the English total with a brilliant innings of 140. Joe Root was innovative and creative in his innings of 82 from 68 balls. Shoriful Islam used the conditions well to claim a three-wicket haul. The returning Mahedi Hasan was the pick of the bowlers by picking up four English scalps.
Liton Das made an exhibition of aggression to top score at 76. Mushfiqur Rahim was the only other Bangladeshi batter who got past 50 runs. Reece Topley recorded his second-best bowling figures in ODI by picking up a 4 wicket haul. Despite the early struggles, Chris Woakes chipped in with two.
Turning Point
After the early havoc done by Reece Topley, Bangladesh was going on fairly well with Lion Das playing some masterful strokes. But any hopes of going close to the target were dashed on the last ball of the 21st over. Chris Woakes took the pace off the ball and delivered it on just outside the off stump.
Liton tried to whack it to the boundary and only managed to edge it towards Joss Buttler. The English skipper was standing two steps nearer to the stumps from the beginning of the year, he gleefully accepted the catch. Liton looked dejected, missing out on a maiden World Cup hundred.
Match Highlights
Match Result
England got their World Cup campaign back on track with a resounding victory of 137 runs over Bangladesh.
Player of the Match
Dawid Malan won the best player award for his blistering innings of 140 runs from just 107 deliveries.
Brief Scorecard
| England Total: 364/9 (50 overs) | Bangladesh Total: 227/10 (48.2 overs) |
| Dawid Malan 140 (107) | Liton Das 76 (66) |
| Joe Root 82 (68) | Mushfiqur Rahim 51 (64) |
| Mahedi Hasan 4/71 | Reece Topley 4/43 |
| Shoriful Islam 3/75 | Towhid Hridoy 39 (61) |
Match Wrap-Up
Apart from the late batting collapse, it was a dominating performance from the current champions. They improved their net run rate substantially by blowing Bangladesh away. Dawid Malan’s ton and Bairstow-Root’s half-centuries helped England to a huge total of 364. Bangladesh never got going in their run chase, Liton Das was the shining example with a scintillating innings of 76. England will look to extend their winning run against Afghanistan on Sunday, and Bangladesh will face an impressive New Zealand side in Chennai.
