Dawid Malan unbeaten century help England to thrilling victory over Bangladesh

• Dawid Malan scored an unbeaten 114 off 145 balls against Bangladesh.
• England bowled Bangladesh out for 209.
•  The hosts got off to a respectable start, led by captain Tamim Iqbal’s 23.

Dawid Malan managed to score a 100 under pressure to assist England to a thrilling three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the opening one-day international in Dhaka on Wednesday.

After the hosts sent them reeling with cheap wickets from Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, and James Vince, Malan hit an unbeaten 114 off 145 balls to help England reach their target with eight balls remaining.

Najmul Hossain scored 58, his first ODI half-century, as England earlier bowled Bangladesh out for 209 with the help of Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid, who each claimed two wickets.

After deciding to bat first, the hosts got off to a respectable start, led by captain Tamim Iqbal’s 23. But after Chris Woakes took out Liton Das to make the first breakthrough, England struck whenever a partnership was forming.

Wood bowled Tamim before the spinners were used, giving England valuable experience in South Asia before they defend their ODI World Cup title in India later this year.

Before Rashid got rid of Mushfiqur Rahim, Moeen had Shakib Al Hasan for eight runs.

Before falling in consecutive overs, Najmul and Mahmudullah Riyad (31) shared a 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Three overs later, Afif Hossain was dismissed by rookie Will Jacks, ending Bangladesh’s last chance to amass a large total.

With Taijul Islam taking 3-54 and other bowlers supporting him brilliantly, Bangladesh made a match out of England’s weak batting performance.

Halfway through the innings, the visitors were reduced to 103-5 thanks to Shakib, Mehidy Miraz, and Taskin Ahmed, with Roy, Buttler, and Vince all being dismissed for single-digit scores.

After a heroic 26 from Jacks, Moeen gave Malan some assistance during a crucial 38-run sixth wicket stand before Mehidy dismissed him for 14.

Malan, who competed in the most recent Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 competition alongside Moeen, managed to hold on and keep England in the game.

With England still needing 49 runs, Tamim made a superb diving catch at mid-on to dismiss Woakes off Taijul for seven and infuse some tension into the match.

Malan, however, who entered the crease in the second over after Shakib dismissed Roy for four, helped Rashid (17 not out) to bat out the final over to secure the victory.

Best player in the game Prior to that, Malan scored his fourth century in ODIs with a boundary off Taskin. Overall, he got eight fours and four sixes.

“(I) spent a significant amount of time in Bangladesh, particularly at this location. “I told Jos it would have been difficult to chase if they had 30-40 more,” Malan said later.

“It’s satisfying to get to the finish line, and dealing with pressure is part of the job.”

“These are difficult circumstances. Malan’s innings is an example for us on how to play on these wickets,” Buttler said.

“There are numerous areas in which to work and improve. On wickets like these, it’s all about small partnerships.”

Tamim believes his team should have scored at least 30-35 more goals.

“I’ll have to give it to Malan,” he admitted. “In our bowling option, we tried everything.”

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