England bounced back from their humiliating defeat against New Zealand with a dominant batting performance against Bangladesh in the seventh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. After being put into bat by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, England posted a mammoth total of 364/9 in 50 overs, thanks to a brilliant century by Dawid Malan. Malan scored 140 runs off 107 balls, hitting 16 fours and five sixes. He shared a 159-run partnership with Joe Root, who made 82 runs off 68 balls. Jonny Bairstow also contributed with a half-century, scoring 52 runs off 59 balls. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 71 runs in eight overs. Shoriful Islam also impressed with three wickets for 75 runs in 10 overs.
Topley’s four-for rattles Bangladesh’s top order
Chasing a daunting target of 365 runs, Bangladesh got off to a disastrous start as they lost four wickets for just 18 runs in the first six overs. Reece Topley, who replaced Moeen Ali in the England XI, was the wrecker-in-chief as he dismissed Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah in quick succession. Topley bowled with pace and accuracy, exploiting the bounce and seam movement on offer. He finished with figures of 4/43 in 10 overs. Chris Woakes also bowled well, taking two wickets for 49 runs in eight overs.
Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim offer some resistance
The only bright spot for Bangladesh in their dismal chase was the fifth-wicket partnership of 107 runs between Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim. Das played a counter-attacking innings of 76 runs off 66 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes. He was particularly harsh on Mark Wood, whom he smashed for three boundaries in an over. Rahim also showed some fight, scoring 51 runs off 64 balls, with four fours. However, both batsmen fell in quick succession, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 187/7 in the 39th over.
England seal an emphatic victory by 164 runs
Bangladesh’s lower order could not offer much resistance as England wrapped up the innings for 200 runs in 42.5 overs. Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone took one wicket each to complete the formalities. England won the match by a massive margin of 164 runs and registered their first win of the tournament. Dawid Malan was adjudged the player of the match for his superb century. Bangladesh suffered their first loss of the tournament and will have to regroup quickly for their next match against South Africa.
