After putting to bat first, England posted 364/9, their third-highest total in World Cup, thanks to Malan’s 140 runs from 107 balls, Joe Root’s 82 off 68.
In reply, Bangladesh’s batting fell apart, barring some brave batting from Litton Das (76) and Mushfiqur Rahim (51), as they were all-out 227 in 48.2 overs. Topley was the destroyer-in-chief with a fine 4/43 in his quota of overs.
Chasing 365, Bangladesh had a dismal start as Topley showed top skill with the new ball to pick three crucial wickets in the Powerplay. Tanzid Hasan was the first to go, caught behind. The left-arm pacer then had Najmul Hossain Shanto off the very next ball. In the sixth over, he cleaned up skipper Shakib Al Hasan for merely one to derail the chase.
Chris Woakes took out Mehidy Hasan, leaving Bangladesh four down within nine overs. Litton Das stood out, finding his rhythm and scoring a stylish 38-ball half-century by the 11th over, boosting Bangladesh’s scoring rate.
Das and Mushfiqur Rahim together pushed Bangladesh past 100 run mark. However, the former’s dismissal in the 21st over by Woakes marked a turning point, virtually ending Bangladesh’s chances in the chase.
Rahim (51) and Hridoy (39) battled for Bangladesh, but England’s target ultimately proved insurmountable.
Earlier, England showed aggression with Malan’s exceptional century leading the charge, well-backed by Joe Root (82 runs from 68 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (52 runs from 59 balls).
Bairstow, who was playing his 100th ODI, made a scintillating start alongside Malan, propelling England to 61/0 by the Powerplay’s end. Both the batters notched their fifties, guiding England past 100 without losing a wicket. However, Shakib disrupted Bairstow’s impressive run, dismissing him for 52.
Malan continued to punish the Bangladesh bowlers as Root joined him at the crease and their partnership pushed the defending champions to 149/1 at the halfway mark.
Malan, who hit 16 fours and five sixes during his impressive knock was eventually dismissed in the 38th over by Mahedi Hasan, while trying to push the scoring along but by then England were 266/2 and eyeing off a huge total.
However, the Bangladesh bowlers managed to pick a number of crucial wickets, picking six wickets for 66 runs in the final Powerplay. However, by this time England had managed to get to 364/9.
For Bangladesh, Mahedi Hasan’s 4/71 and Shoriful Islam’s 3/75 stood out.
–IANS
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