Bangladesh v England, 2nd ODI: Five Things We Learned

An ill-tempered affair finishes in Bangladesh’s favour as they defeat England by 34 runs to level the ODI series. Here’s what we learned from the 2nd ODI…

MAN OF THE DAY - Mashrafe Mortaza (44 & 4-29)

It’s not easy being a Bangladesh captain. If you don’t fall on your sword, you’re hounded out by a public so passionate about the game that every defeat brings floods of tears from the stands. Even as a player, Mashrafe Mortaza was maligned for a lack of consistency, so taking on the captaincy was always going to be an interesting proposition. However, he has acquitted himself superbly well to bring together a strong, up-and-coming side that has won their last six ODI series at home. Today, put in a captain’s performance with both bat and ball. His 44 from 29 deliveries ensured Bangladesh reached a competitive total, before his first spell, opening with Shakib Al Hasan, accounted for James Vince, Jason Roy and Ben Stokes. He became only the ninth ODI captain to score more than 40 runs and take four or more wickets in the same match.

VINCE TROUBLES

Another tame dismissal to add to the collection. Having lost his Test spot over the summer, it looks like James Vince might end 2016 shunted out of the white ball side, too. On a pitch that required a bit of nous and patience – something Vince is no stranger to – he drove loosely (not for the first time) to skew the ball to backward point with just five to his name. He could yet find form, but with a player like Sam Billings waiting in the wings, and options within the side – both Ben Duckett and Moeen Ali can open the batting – the smart move, in the short and long term, may be to move Vince out of the XI.

TASKIN TO TASK

Bowlers very rarely recover from their action being called into question. Rarely are doubters silenced but the most grating noise comes from within the bowler’s own head. Often, when a bowler is banned for chucking, self-doubt reigns supreme. However, having been passed as legal by the ICC a few weeks ago, Taskin Ahmed has been making up for lost time. Now, with a smooth action that has ensured he has kept his ability to generate serious pace and move the ball late, his second spell gutted England’s fight, with three crucial wickets. First, he ended the partnership taking the game away from Bangladesh with Jonny Bairstow caught behind, then going on to remove Jos Buttler LBW on review. Chris Woakes, another who could have negotiated what was left of the chase, was caught behind, undone by pace as he tried to open the face towards third man. It was a thrilling spell of seam bowling that shows how well-rounded this Bangladesh side are.

BENGALI FIGHT

The scenes when Buttler’s review came back as “OUT” were unedifying. Having seen confirmation on the big screen, Bangladesh’ huddle turned towards Buttler almost in unison, to celebrate wildly and give him a send-off. The usually unflappable Buttler was flapped and attempted to give a bit back before the umpires stepped in. Then, during the handshakes, Tamim Iqbal took exception to the manner in which Jonny Bairstow shook his hand, leading to Ben Stokes stepping in as tempers frayed. While the match referee will have the final say on both matters, it goes to show just how far this Bangladesh side has come. In another life, they may have been timid pushovers who wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Now, they are more than willing to scrap and put themselves about, even if they overstep the mark at times. The deciding ODI is set to be a classic.

ENGLAND YET TO HIT FORM

Had Adil Rashid and Jake Ball lasted long enough for England to steal a second win in three days, it would have papered over the cracks. Of course, winning against the odds is a fine trait to have, but the tourists, in two ODIs and a tour match, have yet to stitch together a complete performance. It was, after all, down to a Bengali brain-fade that they emerged victorious in the first ODI. And here, it looked like Bangladesh were on the cusp of another implosion, before Nasir Hossain caught Ball at deep point. What has been encouraging is that England look as fit as they ever have done on the subcontinent and are learning quickly about what lengths to bowl and what surfaces and to which batsmen. On Wednesday, they will look to put that all together in the series decider in Chittagong.