Second one-day international, Mirpur:
England 261-8 (48.5 ovs) beat Bangladesh 260-6 (50 ovs) by two wickets
Match scorecard
|
By Jamie Lillywhite
|
Eoin Morgan made an imperious unbeaten 110 as England scraped a two-wicket win over Bangladesh to take an unassailable 2-0 advantage in the one-day series.
Bangladesh sensed a first international win against England after Mushfiqur Rahim hit 76 from 88 balls in 260-6, their highest score against them.
Morgan shared 90 with Matt Prior before three wickets fell in as many overs.
But the left-handed Morgan finished with a tremendous late blitz of hitting as England won with seven balls left.
Bangladesh played their first one-day international in 1986 and of all the leading teams in world cricket, England are the only side they have yet to beat.
That record, and that of the side batting second winning the last 16 matches in Mirpur, looked likely to end before Morgan's devastating burst of strokeplay.
The 23-year-old Dublin-born Middlesex batsman, who struck 99 on his first ODI appearance for Ireland against Scotland in 2006, made his England debut last May and has already memorable match-winning Twenty20 half-centuries against South Africa and Pakistan this winter.
 |
606: DEBATE
Chesterwurzel
|
He surpassed those, however, by becoming the first man to hit centuries for two different countries, and with an innings of sheer brilliance, made all the more impressive as wickets were tumbling rapidly at the other end.
Indeed, England lost a wicket to the third ball of their innings.
Craig Kieswetter, after a scratchy 19 on his debut, was intent on attacking from the outset, a philosophy that did not change even when he was dropped first ball by Mushfiqur diving to his right.
That slashed drive went for four but a very similar stroke was smartly taken at slip.
After Alastair Cook struck three successive fours, one fortuitous when the mid-wicket fielder wandered too far in from the rope and the ball flew inches over his outstretched fingertips, Bangladesh's barrage of spin was introduced after just seven overs.
Kevin Pietersen hit a crunching drive off the back foot to bring up England's 50 from the final delivery of the ninth over, greeted with almost complete indifference from the home crowd.
Four balls later though the noise levels rocketed as the whirling arm of Abdur Razzak trapped Pietersen plumb lbw, ending a run of 45 international overs without a wicket for the slow left-arm spinner.
The wait for his next success should have been just one over but Mahmudullah spilled a routine chance at mid-wicket when Paul Collingwood had made only two.
But Razzaq struck in his next over as Collingwood could not capitalise this time, England's lynchpin given out lbw having missed a sweep.
 Mushfiqur took full advantage of his extraordinary reprieve when on 24
|
Morgan looked lbw on 13, making no contact when trying to sweep Mahmadullah, but Cook kept his team in contention and reached fifty from 52 balls with his seventh four.
Though Morgan was struggling for fluency Cook struck his first six in one-day internationals but the England captain soon edged to Mushfiqur, who took the catch at the second attempt, leaving the tourists needing 153 from 26.5 overs.
As the required rate moved above a run a ball for the first time, Prior was also fortunate with an lbw decision when on two after yet another fresh air sweep.
Morgan recorded the 150 with a trademark whippy pull for six off seamer Shafiul Islam and Prior then began to find his timing with sweetly struck boundaries in successive overs to bring the requirement down to 64 from 66 balls.
But just as England looked comfortable, Prior played across a quicker ball from Razzak and the match was in the balance again.
With 38 needed from as many deliveries Luke Wright chose to play a slog sweep but heard the death rattle, and the sweep was again under scrutiny in the next over as Tim Bresnan was trapped lbw having attempted a nervy cross-batted shot.
Graeme Swann then played another ill-advised swipe, bringing in debutant James Tredwell.
With three overs remaining 25 were still needed but Morgan - his job made slightly easier as the batting powerplay had been delayed until the final five-over tranche - hit a reverse sweep for four, then calmly dispatched full tosses from Shafiul Islam to the boundary, before flicking the fifth ball of the over effortlessly over square-leg for six to complete an extraordinary finale.
England had hoped for a more straightforward victory after removing dangerman Tamim Iqbal for 30 in the 10th over having chosen to field, the left-hander skewing to mid-wicket.
Mushfiqur should have been dismissed on 24 when he lofted Collingwood to fine-leg but Stuart Broad, who later joined England's escalating injury list with a back complaint, fumbled the chance.
A period of 66 balls without a boundary then followed, before Mushfiqur swept the returning Swann to the mid-wicket fence, then edged another boundary to third man in the same over.
Mushfiqur completed his sixth one-day fifty in the 38th over and hit two fours in Tredwell's final over as the off-spinner finished with 0-52.
The garrulous wicketkeeper departed in the 44th over when he mis-timed a slower ball from Bresnan and Wright moved sharply to his left to clutch a superb catch.
Wright's first six overs cost only 16 but his figures were dented by debutant left-hander Suhrawadi Shuvo, who carved a six and four into the leg-side in the final over.
Suhrawadi's cameo ensured such a competitive total that fervent Bangladesh followers began celebrating during England's floodlit chase, but the unflappable Morgan was once again the star.
medications for depression | buy kamagra online | cialis super active+
No comments:
Post a Comment