Dawid Malan took centre stage as England clinched a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first ODI of their three-match series on Wednesday.
The southpaw showcased his impeccable form, scoring his fourth ODI century. Also, this was Malan's second consecutive ton in the ODIs.
After the match, Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said his team should have put at least 30-35 more runs on the board to make things tougher for the tourists. He also bemoaned losing quick wickets in the middle overs.
Chasing 210, England lost their openers to Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam. And at the 38.5-over mark, they had lost seven wickets and still needed 49 runs to win.
All eyes were on Malan, who was the only recognised batter left for the tourists. But with Adil Rashid's composed batting, they put on an unbeaten partnership of 51 and sealed the match for the visitors.
Bangladesh's Taijul Isalm, who played his first ODI at home in three years, managed to bag three wickets but conceded 5.4 runs per over. Also, Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped two wickets.
Earlier, Bangladesh got off to a shaky start as the opening partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das produced just 33 runs before Litton was dismissed for 7. After that, Tamim was also dismissed quickly.
Mark Wood and Chris Woakes proved to be a formidable force against the Bangladesh openers.
Later, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan were also dismissed quickly, with Mushfiq only managing to score 17 runs off 33 balls.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (58) provided some stability for Bangladesh, scoring his first ODI half-century in the 31st over.
All-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad was the second-highest scorer for Bangladesh, with 31 runs off 48 balls. However, he never looked comfortable at the crease.
Wood was the standout performer for England, taking two wickets for 35 runs in eight overs; Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid also claimed two wickets each.
The tourists will have the chance to seal the series on Friday when they take the field in the second match at the same venue. The third and final ODI of the series will be played in Chattogram on March 6.
