Cardiff: England rode Jason Roy’s belligerent 153 to post the highest total of the ongoing World Cup and made short work of Bangladesh with a massive 106-run victory in their clash here Saturday.
Asked to bat first, Roy battered the Bangladesh bowlers all around park to complete a 92-ball century and lay the foundation for a mammoth total with his 121-ball hurricane. Roy’s innings was studded with 14 fours and five sixes as he fell just short of Andrew Strauss’s 158 against India in 2011, the highest individual score by a English batsman at the World Cup.
Besides Roy, in-form Jos Buttler scored 64 off 44 deliveries with the help of two fours and four sixes while Jonny Bairstow also struck 51 off 50 balls hitting six boundaries as England posted 386/6.
For Bangladesh, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan scripted a fluent 121 of 119 balls (12×4; 1×6) but in the end could not take his team over the line as they were all out for 280 in 48.5 overs.
Chasing a daunting 387 for victory, Bangladesh lost openers Tamim Iqbal (19) and Soumya Sarkar (2) early with Mark Wood (2/52) and Jofra Archer (3/29) accounting for their wickets, respectively.
Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim (44; 50 balls, 4×2) then stitched together a 106-run stand for the third wicket to keep their hopes alive. But once Liam Plunkett (1/36) had Rahim caught by Roy at point, it was always an uphill task for the men in green even as Shakib brought up his hundred off 95 balls and shared a 49-run partnership with Mahmadullah (28).
Ben Stokes (3/23) finally clean-bowled Shakib to end a magnificient effort and from there on it was all downhill as England won easily.
Earlier, Roy ensured that he made hay while the sun shone as England batsmen sent the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners. Despite the pundits saying that there wouldn’t be much movement, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza decided to bowl first and his England counterpart Eoin Morgan was quick to point that it wasn’t a bad toss to lose.
The reason was there for all to see from the word go. While Shakib gave away just one run from the opening over and continued to bowl a tight line, the duo of Roy and Bairstow looked to take the attack to the other bowlers as they mixed caution with aggression to reach 67/0 at the end of the first 10 overs.
But the run rate went a notch higher in the next five overs as England reached the 100-run mark in the 15th over. Roy and Bairstow now have eight 100-run partnerships, second only to the pair of Joe Root and Morgan.
While Shakib continued to impress with his disciplined line and length, the same cannot be said of the other bowlers. However, skipper Mortaza finally struck against the run of play in the 20th over as he sent back Bairstow who was caught brilliantly by Mehidy Hasan.
While Root walked in and looked to settle down, Roy kept up the ante and hit Mustafizur Rahman to the leg-side boundary to bring up his ninth century. After a poor outing against Pakistan, it was the perfect return to form for Roy.
But Root couldn’t continue from where he left against Pakistan as Mohammad Saifuddin cleaned him up for a 29-ball 21. But even before the Bangladesh players could celebrate, in walked the dangerous Jos Buttler.
While Buttler took the liberty of settling down, Roy kept up the ante and hit Mehidy Hasan for three massive sixes in the 35th over before the spinner had the last laugh as Mortaza took a simple catch to send the opener back in the fourth delivery of the same over.
With the score on 235/3, Morgan walked in to join Buttler and by the end of the 40th over, the score read 275/3, as England looked in a position to cross the 400-run mark.
Buttler and Morgan shared a 95-run stand for the fourth wicket to further assert England’s dominance before Buttler holed out to Soumya Sarkar off Saifuddin. Morgan too departed soon for 35 (4×1, 6×2) but Liam Plunkett’s unbeaten 9-ball 27 (4×4, 6×1) helped England post a mammoth 386. Chris Woakes too used the long handle to good effect to remain unbeaten on 18 (6×2), as England amassed 111 runs in the last 10 overs.
Brief scores: England 386/6 in 50 overs (Jason Roy 153, Jos Buttler 64, Jonny Bairstow 51; Mehidy Hasan 2/67) vs Bangladesh 280 all out in 48.5 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 121; Jofra Archer 3/29, Ben Stokes 3/23)
IANS
