Strauss ensures England take ODI series victory against Bangladesh
England have wrapped up a 2-1 series victory against Bangladesh, after handing the visitors a 144-run thumping in the final match of the ODI series, thanks in no small part to centuries by Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.
Bangladesh may have begun the third ODI of the series against England in the unlikely position of snatching a series victory over England after snaring a surprise victory – their first against England in any format of the game – in Bristol but after Strauss and Trott piled on a 250-run partnership, and Ravi Bopara chipped in with a quick fire 45 at the death to help set a 348-run target, their hopes had been all-but dashed.
Strauss helped himself to 154 runs for the match to reach his highest ODI innings total (his previous best was 152, made against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 in Nottingham during 2005) to remain third on the list of England’s highest ODI run-scorers behind Robin Smith (167 not out) and David Gower (158).
Indeed, after three half-centuries in England’s ODI series on home soil this summer – two against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and one against Bangladesh in Nottingham – this was the captain’s knock he’d been threatening to produce. It’s also the one that should dispel, for some time to come, Strauss’ ongoing importance to his country’s 50-over set up, notwithstanding the wealth of Twenty20 talent that was on show during England’s World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean during the spring.
It was Strauss and Trott, who finished with a 110-run total, who set up England’s victory after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Craig-Kieswetter-c51708 edged the ball onto his stumps in the opening over of the match as he was bowled out for the fourth time playing for England in an ODI on home soil this summer.
The young wicketkeeper-batsman departed with his team’s total on one, but it wasn’t until it had reached 251 that the second wicket fell, as Trott and Strauss made the Bangladesh bowlers pay for some below par bowling.
Trott’s dismissal 10 runs after reaching his maiden ODI ton – when Shakib Al http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mashrafe-Mortaza-c1917 through to the keeper to hand the bowler his third wicket of the day.
Paul Collingwood (eight) and Eoin Morgan (one) contributed little, and when Strauss was finally caught on 154, England had lost five wickets for the addition of just 32 runs to their total.
Enter Ravi Bopara, who gained another chance at ODI cricket as a result of Ian Bell’s injury in the previous match, with an unbeaten 45 from just 16 balls to ensure Bangladesh were left facing a formidable total of 347-7.
If Bangladesh were to have a chance of reeling in such an imposing target, most observers would surely have been looking squarely in the direction of talented opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajmal-Shahzad-c42489 fooled him with a slower ball that the batsman sent into the clouds and which landed in Wright’s hands – just as well, because Shahzad’s celebrations had started when the ball was still hovering somewhere in the clouds.
Shahzad quickly had his second wicket when Imrul Kayes (four) was caught behind before the paceman was forced from the field due to a hamstring injury; and when Wright held onto another chance to dismiss http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Junaid-Siddique-c1749 (25), Tim Bresnan was among the wickets too.
Not to be left out of the action, Stuart Broad gained his reward for firing down a short ball at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jahurul-Islam-c1624 (27) in the 16th over when the batsman set his attempted pull shot into Strauss’ hands at midwicket.
The fifth wicket, that of Shakib, was an untidy dismissal from whatever angle it was viewed – whether it was the mid-wicket mix-up between the batsmen or Collingwood completing the run-out on all fours – but the seaming delivery that landed Bopara the scalp of Mohammad Ashraful, trapped in front for 13, was just reward for a fine piece of bowling.
Shakib’s wicket and that of Mashrafe to leave Bangladesh floundering at 124-7 at the end of 26th over, ensured that if it hadn’t been the case already, from there the result itself was largely academic, with the margin the only aspect of the outcome that was still to be decided, as the required run-rate continued to climb while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mahmudullah-c1877 and Abdur Razzak set about grinding out the overs without displaying much inclination of going down in a blaze of glory in pursuit of their mammoth target.
It was Michael Yardy who relieved the boredom when he, somewhat luckily, found the umpire agreeing with his lbw appeal to end Mahmudullah’s innings after 42 runs made off almost double that amount of deliveries.
Razzak became the ninth wicket to fall as he sought to inject some excitement into his side’s batting, but two balls after he’d opted for the slash and bash tactic, Bopara had claimed his third wicket of the day and had surely hastened the England victory that had been inevitable many overs before.
That proved to be the case as Bopara ended the Bangladesh chase when his slower ball rattled Shafiul Islam’s stumps as he finished with figures of 4-39 for the day to make the most of his first opportunity he’s had since last September to demonstrate the value he can add to England’s ODI line-up with both bat and ball.
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