Published: Oct 24, 2016, 10:29 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 24, 2016, 11:22 AM (IST)
Ben Stokes came out hard in the morning session of the first Test between Bangladesh and England at Chittagong and carried his team over the line with two much needed wickets in the same over. England registered a nail-biting victory by a margin of 22 runs as Bangladesh floundered after being on the brink of a victory. England have now gained a healthy lead of 1-0 in the two match series and are high on confidence for the next game. The onus of making a comeback is now on the hosts and they returned from the dead in the second innings but fell prey to Stokes’ persistence eventually. FULL Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs England 1st Test at Chittagong
Bangladesh resumed batting on Day 5 with their overnight score of 253 for the loss of eight wickets and needed 33 more runs to win while England were eyeing for two wickets. The match was evenly poised at the start of Day 5 with a well set Sabbir Rahman at the crease, and things started pretty well for the hosts. The new ball was taken by 80 overs and Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes were handed the responsibility of putting in the hard yards. Things were going out of England’s reach as Bangladesh added 10 runs to their existing score this morning and were just short of 23 more runs to register a scintillating victory.
Ben Stokes steamed in and scalped two wickets in the same over to guide his side to a victory. Stokes got the better of Taijul Islam and then Shafiul Islam with his pace and guile. It was some sensible bowling from the all-rounder as he did well to chip two wickets in the same over. Stokes clipped Taihul’s pads as the decision was turned down by the on field umpire but England decided to review it as it also turned out to be a good one. The impact was on the line and the ball was hitting the stumps, Kumar Dharmasena got another decision as wrong as he had to reverse his decision and give it out. Things were running out of control for Bangladesh as they had just one wicket in hand and 23 runs to get.
Sabbir Rahman was standing at the other end when Shafiul Islam walked out to bat. On the very second delivery, he didn’t offer a shot to a delivery from Stokes as England appealed for a leg-before and rightly got it by Dharmasena. Bangladesh reviewed the decision and but in vain as the ball was hitting the wickets and since the batsman didn’t offer a stroke the impact was out of equation. Rahman was shattered at the other end while England celebrated their win with immense joy. The crowd was stunned as not many expected Bangladesh to lose from here on.
On Day 1, England won the toss and elected to bat first, they stumbled as wickets fell like nine pins in the very first session as they lost their top-order cheaply. England were precariously placed at 105 for the loss of six wickets when Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali came to the rescue. They added some crucial runs as both of them scored fifties and helped England post a fighting 293 on the board. Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid added some valuable runs lower down the order and did fantastic job with the bat.
Bangladeshi bowlers did a fantastic job as debutant Mehedi Hasan scripted history by scalping six wickets in his debut game and broke the spine of English batting attack. Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam also chipped in with two wickets each and dismantled one of the best Test sides under a score of 300. A comedy of errors was witnessed in an over by Shakib when Moeen got three reprieves after being given out by Dharmasena but the review saved it on all the three occasions.
Bangladesh got off to a rocky start but Tamim Iqbal stood at one end like a rock and smashed 78 runs with the bat. Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim played well but Stokes ran through their batting line up and accounted for four wickets. They were bundled out for 248 as England gained a healthy lead and looked in command. England’s top-order once again floundered as they were foe men down for a mere score of 62. Bairstow once again stood up but Stokes played an innings of absolute grit and deserved a ton but was dismissed foe 85 by Shakib. England managed to get a decent score of 240 and set a target of 286 for the hosts to chase in the fourth innings. Shakib claimed a fifer adn led the spin attack with unmatched confidence.
Bangladesh started cautiously as they had an achievable target ahead of them. The in form Tamim fell early for 9 as Moeel drew the first blood. Imrul Kayes had 43 runs to his name while Mominul Haque had 27. The middoe-order failed after getting good starts as England spinners meant business. Gareth Batty bowled well and picked three wickets while Moen had two. They kept losing wickets at crucial junctures and were delicately placed at 238 for the loss of seven wickets. Sabbir played well along with Taijul and the duo added 25 vital runs to their score. But Stokes did well to scalp both the wickets in an over and win the game for England. He was also awarded the Man of the Match award for his heroics. Bangladesh did well to win the game as Rahman remained unbeaten at the other end for 64 for ran out out partner.
It has been a collective effort by the England but many believe they have not played up to the mark. The top-order did not fire in both the innings, a factor which affected them massively. Their bowlers did well in phases and need to step up in the next game as Bangladesh will come out hard to seek revenge and square the series.
Brief Scores:
England 293 and 240 (Ben Stokes 85, Jonny Bairstow 47; Shakib Al Hasan 5 for 85) beat Bangladesh 248 and 263 all out (Imrul Kayes 43, Sabbir Rahman 64*; Gareth Batty 3 for 65, Ben Stokes 2 for 20) by 22 runs.
