Bangladesh Beat the World Champions
On March 9th, 2023, Bangladesh won the first T20I (D/N) against England in Chattogram, during England’s tour of Bangladesh. The new-look Bangladeshi side beat the world champions by six wickets with two overs in hand, which is a rare occurrence in T20Is for Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi team consisted of one player who returned to the squad after eight years, one who returned after two years, and a debutant.
After Hasan Mahmud led with stingy death overs, the English side scored only 21 runs in the last four overs. Bangladesh batters then did what was expected of them in a T20 chase and batted with purpose, which had been missing from the Bangladeshi batting approach for a while. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar, who returned to the side after eight years, struck early boundaries before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy kept up the pressure with a fast partnership.
Shanto made his third fifty in his last four innings, scoring 51 runs before falling. Captain Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain then scored the remaining runs, an unbroken 46-run stand in 5.4 overs to complete the chase. Shakib remained unbeaten on 34, clattering six fours in his 24-ball stay. Afif made 15 with two fours, one of them a classic cover drive.
However, it was not an easy ride for Bangladesh. England got off to a great start, reaching 80 in the first ten overs. The English team fired off 51 for no loss in the Powerplay. Phil Salt struck five boundaries, including a six in his 35-ball 38, but it was Buttler who was more punishing. He brought out all his T20 specials, including the splayed-leg hoick over long-on and the slightly more open cover drive.
Buttler also got his boundaries with the reverse-sweep and the back-foot punch, underlining his authority and quality as a T20 star. He finished with eight boundaries, half of them sixes, in his 42-ball stay. Both Buttler and Salt were dropped in the sixth over.
Nasum Ahmed dropped a return chance off Salt on 20 before Shakib dropped a sitter at mid-on with Buttler on 19. Salt, however, wasn’t too happy with his dismissal when UltraEdge picked up an under-edge in the tenth over. Dawid Malan fell shortly afterward, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib.
Buttler was still going great guns, adding 47 runs with Ben Duckett for the third wicket. However, when Mustafizur Rahman removed the left-handed Duckett for 20 off 13 balls, England still had four overs in hand to put up a big total. Instead, Hasan bowled two mean overs at the death to bring Bangladesh back into the contest.
Hasan removed Buttler the ball after Duckett got out before dismissing Sam Curran for six in his next over, both to catches in the deep. Taskin bowled a strong final over, giving away just nine runs as England finished on 156 for 6. A tally of 21 runs in the last four overs was England’s second-lowest in this phase of a T20I innings.
Bangladesh Beat the World Champions
It is quite unusual for Bangladesh to outscore the opposition in the powerplay, but that’s exactly what happened in Chattogram. The home side raced to 54 for 2, beating England’s powerplay by three runs. The visitors did not lose a wicket, but T20 sides often do not bother about losing two wickets in the fielding restrictions.
Liton Das and Rony Talukdar hit six boundaries in the first three overs, but Talukdar fell to Adil Rashid’s googly in the fourth over. Shanto then joined Liton and the pair added 65 runs in just 6.3 overs.
Shanto was particularly aggressive, scoring his third fifty in his last four innings. He fell for 51 off 27 balls, but Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain guided Bangladesh to victory with an unbroken 46-run stand. Shakib finished unbeaten on 34 off 24 balls, while Afif scored 15 off 13 balls.
The win was significant for Bangladesh as they had several new players in their team, including one player who had returned after eight years and a debutant. The team had struggled with their batting approach in T20Is, but the performance of the new-look side showed that they had addressed those issues.
England, on the other hand, would be disappointed with their performance. They got off to a great start, with Jos Buttler leading the way with a stunning knock of 67 off 42 balls. However, they failed to capitalize on their strong start and could only manage a below-par total of 156 for 6. Their bowlers also struggled to contain the Bangladesh batsmen, particularly Shanto and Hridoy, who played with aggression and purpose.
Bangladesh Beat the World Champions
Overall, it was a thrilling match, and Bangladesh will be buoyed by their performance, which will give them confidence heading into the rest of the series. England, meanwhile, will need to regroup quickly and come up with a better plan if they are to bounce back in the next match.
