In the first of three one-day internationals, England defeated Bangladesh with a valiant three-wicket victory thanks to a valiant century from Dawid Malan.
With eight balls remaining, the tourists beat Bangladesh’s 209 all out thanks to the left-fourth hander’s ODI century.
On a pitch that favored both seamers and spinners, wickets dropped frequently during the chase.
Malan, however, scored the decisive goal to give England the series advantage.
Prior to being pushed back by six England bowlers who shared the wickets, Bangladesh had made a solid start to their innings after choosing to bat first.
Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Moeen Ali, and debutant Will Jacks each grabbed two wickets, and Chris Woakes took the first.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 58 off 82 balls was the only other score above 50 in the game. The home team’s hitters generally struggled in the low-scoring affair.
For the second ODI on Friday, the teams will remain in Mirpur as they continue to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in India.
Malan’s stunning knock demonstrates the benefits of patience.
The focus has been on all-action, attacking cricket since England’s white-ball revolution started after the 2015 World Cup disaster, and it has contributed to the 50-over and Twenty20 World Cup victories.
But occasionally, a different, more nuanced technique is needed, as Malan demonstrated in a brilliantly timed innings at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
After Jason Roy’s meek dismissal at the end of the first over, the 35-year-old came in and used all of his expertise to fight through as wickets kept falling at the other end.
England were 65-4 when Jos Buttler edged Taskin Ahmed behind in the 17th over, and Malan’s wicket was crucial to the outcome of the game.
But despite helpful partnerships with Will Jacks and Moeen Ali, he maintained his composure and controlled the pace excellently with a cunning ability to locate the boundary just as the pressure was rising on a challenging ground.
As Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and other players are still on their way back from injury, Malan continues to make a strong case for selection for the World Cup. Malan was able to shift through the gears as England moved in on their objective, bringing up a superb hundred in the process.
