Spirited Bangladesh shock sloppy England to level series

Defending a modest 236, Bangladesh registered their first ever win against England restricting them to 231.

After being put into bat by the hosts, Bangladesh got off to a subdued start in the initial overs and lost the wicket of Tamim Iqbal cheaply but Imrul Kayes and Zunaed Siddique batted well and scored 50 runs in the Quick Start Overs followed by 24/1 in the Bowling Power Play. Zunaed Siddique departed but Imrul Kayes carried on with the good work and knitted an 83-run stand for the third wicket with Jahurul Islam. But once the partnership was broken, the run-rate of the Bangladesh’s innings dropped considerably as the English bowlers led by Ajmal Shahazad and Michael Yardy bowled to a tight line. Bangladesh managed to score 53 runs in the Extreme Performance Overs for the loss of two wickets of which 38/1 came in the Batting Power Play, all thanks to a late 37-run stand between Mahmudullah and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza for the seventh wicket. Imrul Kayes was the top scorer for Bangladesh, scoring 76, his 4th ODI Fifty, earning a Batting Momentum of 82 while Ajmal Shahzad who gave away just 41 runs in his 10 overs and picked up three wickets, finished with a Bowling Efficiency of 220.

Chasing 237 for a win, England got off to a steady start but lost both the openers in quick succession as they managed 61 runs in the Quick Start Overs followed by 16 runs in the Bowling Power Play. Jonathan Trott stuck around for a valiant 94 but he could only watch as the others crumbled at the other end. Stuart Broad joined Trott in his quest to take England home and ignited the hope of saving his team from embarrasment with a 43-run stand for the eighth wicket but once the partnership was broken the chances for English win became bleak. Ian Bell, who was injured in the field, came out to bat at number 11 with Morgan as his runner but did not face a single ball as Trott perished in the third delivery of the final over trying to run the ball down to third man. England scored 60 runs in the Extreme Performance Overs for the loss of three wickets, which included 28/1 in the Bowling Power Play. All the main bowlers for Bangladesh picked up two wickets each, with Shafiul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan finishing with a Bowling Efficiency of 150 each. Jonathan Trott was the best batsman for the hosts, scoring 94, earning a Batting Momentum of 106.

Bangladesh finished with a Castrol Index of 160 as compared to England’s 143 as the visitors completely outplayed the hosts in the Extreme Performance Overs, which very well decided the game in their favour. Mashrafe Mortaza bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his all-round performance, finishing with an Overall Castrol Index of 159. With this win, the series is still alive and these two sides face each other in the final ODI at Birmingham on Monday, the 12th of July, 2010 at 0945 GMT.