CWC 2019: ENG vs BAN Review – Roy’s blitzkrieg powers England past the Tigers
The English batters were in imperious form against Bangladesh, which will certainly send a message or two to their potential challengers. The usual suspects – Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler all looked in brilliant touch. Their striking prowess was too much for the Bangladeshi bowling attack to deal with, on a belter of a batting deck in Cardiff. They ended up posting a score of 386/6 on the board after being put in to bat first, sapping the Tigers’ morale, which all but ended the contest.
Shakib Al Hasan was again the star of the show with the bat for Bangladesh but did not have enough support to ever challenge the English pace bowling attack. The Bangla Tigers could only post a score of 280 all out in reply, succumbing to a heavy 106 run defeat. With the win, England made an emphatic comeback after their loss against Pakistan and set themselves back on track for the rest of the tournament.
Openers set the tone
What a partnership Roy and Bairstow have formed at the top of the order! Already England’s most successful opening pair in their ODI history, they made a mockery of the Bangladeshi pacers on what appeared to be a pitch which would assist the seamers. Their opening stand of 128 firmly set England to post a big score on the board with the big hitters which England had down the order. Roy, in particular, was in ominous form, scoring his maiden World Cup century in what was one of the best innings of his career. By the time he was dismissed for 153 by Mehidy Hasan, the damage was well and truly done.
Buttler’s promotion pays off
With the pace already set, Jos Buttler was promoted up the order at No.4 in what turned out to be a masterstroke. He was sent up to prop up the run-rate even further, which he promptly did. He established a decent partnership with skipper Morgan in the later part of the innings, scoring at a fair click. Another century seemed on the cards for the wicketkeeper-batsman, before he started to struggle with a hip injury which would keep him off the field during Bangladesh’s chase. But he had done his job to perfection, scoring 64 off only 44 deliveries.
Plunkett’s cameo inflicts further misery
A few eyebrows were raised when Moeen Ali was left out of the team in order to accommodate Liam Plunkett in the match. The belief was that England were weakening their batting a bit in order to add more penetration in their bowling attack. But the veteran proved that he is no mug with the bat, with a blistering knock of 27 off only 9 deliveries at the end. He was ably supported by Woakes who also blazed 18 off 8 deliveries, propelling England’s score to a massive 386/6.
Raw pace gets England the early breakthroughs
Jofra Archer was spitting fire at the start, regularly clocking speeds over the 90 mp/h mark. The pace and bounce which he generated at the start was too much for the Bangladeshi openers to handle. The delivery which got rid of Soumya Sarkar was an absolute peach, drawing a visible gasp from the audience. But the trouble did not end there for the Tigers, as they then had to face the venom of Mark Wood, who was bowling at similar speeds. It was Wood who sent Tamim Iqbal back to the pavilion.
Shakib’s effort in vain
This World Cup has been a perfect showcase for Shakib Al Hasan to prove why he is regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the world. With the bat especially, Shakib has been a treat to watch. He tried his level best, to keep Bangladesh in the game as long as possible. His partnership with Mushfiqur would have certainly given the English bowlers some jitters. But in the end, the total of 387 for a win was too big of a mountain for even Shakib to climb. But that will not take anything away from his brilliant knock of 121 in 119 deliveries.
