An all-round display from Shakib Al Hassan guided Bangladesh to win the third ODI against England by 51 runs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium, Chattogram on Monday.
But it’s too late Tigers roared to overpower England when they won the third ODI that could only save the whitewash after losing the series.
Bangladesh after batting first set 248 runs target for England and bowled them out for 196 runs to win the match by a handsome margin.
Shakib blazed with the bat scoring 75 off 71 balls and shined with the ball picking up four wickets for 35 runs.
This time too, Tamim Iqbal had the coin favour and decided to bat first on the flat-wicket. Tamim’s decision was quite perfect but the captain himself and Litton Das failed to capitalise the advantage when both the openers disappointed much getting out in quick succession scoring 11 and a duck leaving the team for 11 on 17 by 3 overs.
Litton, who is long established as Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner in ODIs, has not got going in this series, scratching around for 7 off 15 in the first game before chopping his first ball to point in the second for a duck and successive duck with getting out in the third match in Chattogram. He has now gone five ODI innings in a row without reaching 50.
Litton was the first wicket to initiate the debacle, facing only three balls and giving wicket to Jose Buttler at slip when only one run on the scoreboard came from extra.
However, Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim, who were out for a duck and four runs respectively in the second ODI, on the day played valuable 114 runs innings at third wicket partnership.
When it looked that the partnership would go far, as both the batters were well set, Shanto went after scoring 53 runs off 71 balls.
Shakib, joined with Mushfiqur after the departure of Shanto, and the way they were batting it seemed Bangladesh was going to throw a challenge to visitors, who just outplayed the Tigers to grab the series.
But the partnership lasted for 38 runs in the fifth wicket stand when Mushfique left the team scoring 70, the team was on 153 for four. The experienced batter missed his sweep and was bowled by Adil Rashid.
When Bangladesh lost two settled batters Shanto and Mushfique in the space of 38 runs they had enough resources to score a big total. Batters like Shakib, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hassan Miraz were to bat and 17.4 overs left for them.
But apart from Shakib who scored 75 off 71, the rest of the three established batters disappointed scoring 8, 15 and 5 runs respectively as Tigers were bundled out for 247 runs and 1.1 overs left to play.
England, who went to Chattogram on Saturday to play their final fixture in the inaugural - and only - edition of the ICC's ODI Super League on Monday, were looking to secure a three-nil series win and thereby becoming the first team to secure an away ODI series whitewash in Bangladesh since Sri Lanka in 2014.
However, though England started their innings in style with scoring 50 runs in seven overs, they saw a setback losing Phil Salt and first match centurion Dwid Mallan gone for 35 and a duck respectively in a span of five runs.
England were a bit slowed down at the middle and it looked the visitors fell into frustration when Mehidy Miraz, Shakib and Ebadot Hossain got the better of Sam Curran, Sam Vince and Moeen Ali in a short interval around the halfway of their innings (27.5 overs) for 130 for six. All three bowlers tried to give the charge, only to be deceived by the flight and dip to be bowled through the gate.
At that stage, it seemed all over for Bangladesh after their 247 runs innings felt like a score a bit too little to defend' against world champions England, especially against their aggressive and long batting order.
Finally the Tigers came through England back by taking wickets of the middle and late order batters and putting pressure from both ends reduced them to 158 for seven. It was big damage and the Tigers were smelling victory when Jose Buttler, the last and most formidable batter was trapped lbw by Taijul for 26. Taijul cut the tailenders along with Shakib and Mustafiz to book England for 196.
Shakib grabbed four wickets for 35 in his 10 overs spell when Taihul and Enbadot picked up two wickets each, Mustafiz and Mehidy Hassan Miraz took a piece each.
