A masterful unbeaten century from Joe Root helped England make easy work of an awkward run-chase against Bangladesh at the Oval
Related: Joe Root’s 133* helps England beat Bangladesh in ICC Champions Trophy opener
47.2 overs: England 308-2 (Root 133, Morgan 75) Root finishes the match with consecutive boundaries off Mosaddek. It’s been a good day for England, who batted with impressive authority to turn an awkward run-chase into a run-stroll. Joe Root’s career-best 133 not out was almost flawless. The fitness, confidence and efficacy of their bowling attack is a bit of a concern, as is the form of Jason Roy, but this has been a nice start to the tournament for England. Thanks for your company, night!
47th over: England 300-2 (Root 125, Morgan 75) Root blasts Rubel over extra cover for four more. He has a bit of luck later in the over when he skies a pull that somehow lands safely on the leg side. He has teed off merrily since reaching his hundred.
46th over: England 289-2 (Root 119, Morgan 70) England are hurrying to victory. Morgan picks up Mustafizur for six over midwicket and muscles the next ball to the cover boundary. He has 71 from 58 balls and Root, after a tremendous cover-driven four to end the over, 119 from 124 balls.
45th over: England 274-2 (Root 114, Morgan 60) Root decides he has done enough running on that sore ankle: he plays a lovely golf shot for six off Rubel and then swings a low full toss for a one-bounce four. Then he does have to run a single, but hey, nobody’s perfect.
44th over: England 263-2 (Root 103, Morgan 60) This will be the first successful chase of over 300 in the Champions Trophy. Barring the apocalypse, there will be a few more in this tournament.
43rd over: England 258-2 (Root 101, Morgan 57) Morgan slices Mashrafe for four to move to a dominant fifty from 45 balls. He may have been fortunate to survive that catch by Tamim, but apart from that he has looked in formidable touch. As has Joe Root, who limps a sharp second to reach a near-perfect century from 115 balls. Just brilliant. It’s his 10th in ODIs; only Marcus Trescothick has made more for England.
42nd over: England 246-2 (Root 98, Morgan 48) Joe Root averages 58.31 at No3, more than any other player who has batted 20 times or more in that position. He is top of a pretty impressive list.
41st over: England 243-2 (Root 97, Morgan 47) Hoohoo! Morgan gives Shakib the charge and clatters an enormous six down the ground. The next ball is steered through the off side for four. Another very expensive over from Shakib, who has gone for 62 from his eight overs.
40th over: England 231-2 (Root 95, Morgan 36) Root picks Mashrafe’s slower ball and drives it elegantly through the covers for four. This has been an immaculate innings from Root, and he is five away from his 10th ODI hundred. At the risk of making this conversation a bit racy, there is so much to admire in Root’s dot-ball ratio.
“I’ll stop bothering you in a minute, but on the subject of dating for cricket tragics (over 26) - a few years ago I was absentmindedly scrolling down the Guardian website and the usual one-man-one-woman Soulmates ad popped up on the side bar,” says John Foster. “ I thought I recognised the bloke, so seeing an opportunity to embarrass one of my friends, I clicked on it to find out more. The profile was ‘Yozzer, 40’ - and the penny dropped. I must admit, for a few seconds the thought did cross my mind that I’ve had worse dates than going for a pint with Simon Hughes and learning about the intricacies of reverse swing.”
39th over: England 226-2 (Root 90, Morgan 36) The impressive Mustafizur returns to the attack. Morgan calls the limping Root through for a tight single into the off side; he would have been run out with a direct hit. Five from the ove. England will take that against Mustafizur.
“Quite often, a fielder doesn’t know if the ball has been grassed, even slightly,” says John Starbuck. “There’s a tendency to believe it’s clean, because you made so much effort and therefore deserve a reward, but it’s just the same with batsmen. Geoffrey always goes on about it (well, about anything) saying that you know if you’ve nicked it. But you don’t, as the technology shows. It’s clearer in their case, but if the umpire has to be certain, doubt will often win. No blame to anyone, it’s just the way of the game, but people do get tremendously worked up about it.”
38th over: England 221-2 (Root 88, Morgan 32) Morgan swings Mashrafe to deep backward square for four. England need 85 from 72 balls, and if they don’t get them they will regret it for quite some time.
That was out. This Video replay for catches needs reviewing #BANvENG
37th over: England 214-2 (Root 86, Morgan 28) Shane Warne and Nasser Hussain think it might well have been a clean catch from Tamim. As Nasser Hussain says, the fact that the soft signal from the umpires was ‘not out’ made it very hard for Tamim to get the decision.
“If it’s not too much to ask, how would you explain the ICC Championships to a complete newcomer to cricket?” says Kat Bunn. “I understand the gist of the game but the scoring and international competition is still a foreign concept.”
36th over: England 207-2 (Root 84, Morgan 24) A bit of controversy here. Morgan chipped Mashrafe towards long-on, where Tamim ran in and swooped forward and seemed to take a tremendous low catch. Morgan stayed around and the umpires went upstairs. Tamim raised the finger to give Morgan out and looked affronted that the umpires did not take his word. He was even more affronted when the third umpire gave it not out. I’m not saying Tamim cheated, because I’ve never taken an athletic catch in my life, and his reaction suggested he was convinced it was a clean catch.
35th over: England 204-2 (Root 83, Morgan 22) Shakib returns. The sensible thing would be to see him off with as many singles as possible. England so the sensible thing.
“It will be a close-run thing,” says Richard Simpson. “Perhaps England have been too slow accumulating runs, as any Stick Wicket afficionado knows; score heavily before the medium plodder and spin magician come on and kill the run rate.”
34th over: England 199-2 (Root 80, Morgan 20) Morgan heaves Mosaddek to cow corner for four, a mishit stroke that still almost went for six. Nine from the over, which keeps England on course.
“Concerning Roy’s form,” says Ian Copestake, “will England change tack and adopt a more ruthless, Get Carter approach, by informing him that ‘You’re a big man, but you’re in bad shape, With me it’s a full time job. Now behave yourself’?”
33rd over: England 190-2 (Root 77, Morgan 13) Morgan was out hooking Rubel in that World Cup fiasco two years ago. This time Rubel’s short ball doesn’t get up as much and Morgan cuffs it wide of mid-on for four. He is in lovely nick at the moment; certainly his best since the summer of 2015, perhaps his best since the summer of 2010. I’ll shut up now, because it’s time for drinks.
32nd over: England 184-2 (Root 76, Morgan 9) Shakib has five overs remaining and Mustafizur four, so Bangladesh will try to stealthily increase the required run-rate and leave England with too much to do at the death. Five singles from Mosaddek’s over will keep both teams fairly happy.
31st over: England 179-2 (Root 73, Morgan 7) England will have to work very, very hard to make fools of themselves here. It’s not impossible but they have looked in control of an awkward run-chase from the moment poor Jason Roy was dismissed. They require 127 from 114 balls
30th over: England 177-2 (Root 72, Morgan 6) Root, the anonymous achiever of this England batting line-up, plays a beautiful back-foot drive for four off Mosaddek. He has made 72 from 81 balls with only five fours and no bish-bosh whatsoever. He’s the least spectacular of England’s top seven, and probably the most important.
29th over: England 171-2 (Root 67, Morgan 5) Mashrafe returns to the attack. Morgan gets off the mark by snicking through the vacant slip area for four. Mashrafe the bowler berates Mashrafe the captain for not having a slip.
28th over: England 165-2 (Root 66, Morgan 0) That was the last ball of the over. Eoin Morgan is the new batsman.
The legspinner Sabbir comes into the attack for the first time - and he strikes with the last ball of the over! Hales launched him for four and six to move to 95 but then dragged another big shot towards deep midwicket, where the substitute Sunzamul took a fine running catch. Hales played terrifically for his 95, from 86 balls, but he will know he’s thrown away a century.
27th over: England 152-1 (Hales 84, Root 64) Since one-day cricket was invented in June 2015, Alex Hales has an average of 45 and a strike-rate of 99. He has five six centuries in that time, and is moving closer to a sixth. Only Marcus Trescothick and Graham Gooch have made more opening the batting for England.
26th over: England 147-1 (Hales 81, Root 61) Root twists his ankle in the act of pulling Rubel for two. Shane Warne reckons he’ll be okay. Hales is certainly okay; he blasts Rubel high over extra cover for four to move into the eighties.
“Hi Rob,” says Jon Salisbury. “Technology coming into its own here: Eng. 135 for one, Win Predictor Bangladesh 80% says the TV graphics , which have ignored run rates achieved or required throughout the game.”
25th over: England 138-1 (Hales 76, Root 58) Hales gives Mustafizur the charge and misses a yahoo at a ball angled across him. This has been a very good spell from Mustafizur, and the first time since the dismissal of Jason Roy that England have looked slightly uncomfortable.
“This really is going too well, isn’t it Rob?” says Guy Hornsby. “I know we’re good at 50 over cricket now, but there’s something ingrained, even genetic, that still sits in my grey matter, urging me to wait for that three-wicket burst and comedy loss in a BIG TOURNAMENT. The thing is, much like Take That (Over 11) we never thought that rag-tag bunch of cricketers/northern singers would come good and be the well-oiled machine they are now. Now England are scoring 350 at will, and like Gary and the other two, they’ll surely be soaking up the acclaim of millions in packed stadia, on the crest of a cricketing wave. 2017? Never forget.”
24th over: England 133-1 (Hales 75, Root 56) In case you missed it, England made such a mess of hosting the 1999 World Cup that the official theme song was released on 31 May - the day after England went out of the tournament. And it was crap. I miss 1990s England. Much of the time they were better than people remember. But when they were bad...
Back in 2017, Rubel replaces Shakib and beats Hales with a bouncer. England need 171 from 26 overs. Should.
23rd over: England 133-1 (Hales 74, Root 53) Hales gets another leading edge off Mustafizur, which plops teasingly between mid-off and extra cover.
“Pulitzers can only go to US citizens - are you a secret American?” says Andrew Benton. “If so, do you covfefe?”
22nd over: England 126-1 (Hales 72, Root 50) Hales sweeps the new bowler Shakib round the corner for four. This feels like a key period, with Shakib and Mustafizur on in pursuit of wickets. And so far England are winning it: Hales beasts Shakib down the ground for a big six to move into the seventies. Root steals two to reach a controlled fifty - and make it 15 from the over.
21st over: England 111-1 (Hales 60, Root 47) Hales feels with hard hands at the new bowler Mustafizur and gets a leading edge that lands safely on the off side. A desperate LBW appeal against Root is turned down later in the over; it pitched well outside leg. Still, a fine over from Mustafizur, which he concludes by shaping one past Root’s outside edge. That over has changed the mood.
20th over: England 110-1 (Hales 59, Root 47) England continue to milk Mosaddek, with five singles from the over. That felt like a Boring Middle Over; 20 years ago, England scoring five off the over against a mediocre spinner would have prompted urgent enquiries as to the availability of open-top buses.
If you’re into the whole podcast thing - and if you’re not, you better wise up grandpa - you will like this.
Related: FCC cricket podcast: Gareth Batty on England, money and the state of spin
19th over: England 105-1 (Hales 56, Root 45) Root flicks Rubel sweetly for four before being beaten for pace outside off stump again. Rubel is a slippery customer. Hales uses that pace as a force for English good later in the over, back-cutting for four more.
“In our office we often play ‘would you rather...’, so I am going to extend it to the wider world,” says Ian Palmer. “Would you rather get a silky hundred a la Joe Root, or would you rather bash your way to a hundred like Hales? Root - you look better; Hales, you are likely to get there quicker.”
18th over: England 95-1 (Hales 51, Root 40) Mosaddek races through an over while I peruse emails. Five from it, and it’s time for the players to prehydrate before they dehydrate. Unless it’s too late, in which case they need to rehydrate.
17th over: England 90-1 (Hales 50, Root 38) Rubel slips a sharp delivery past Root’s attempted cut. He bowled superbly in that World Cup match two years ago, taking three or four wickets I think. He tries a short ball to Hales, who gives him the charge and heaves it to cow corner for four. That takes him to an assertive 50 from 52 balls.
Cricket on the train #CT17pic.twitter.com/Uyvd7lNBZM
16th over: England 83-1 (Hales 45, Root 36) Bangladesh have at least stopped the boundaries, with just two in last six overs. I don’t know what else to say really. Ones and twos don’t make for Pulitzer-winning entries.
15th over: England 76-1 (Hales 42, Root 33) Rubel Hossain on, Soumya off. Bangladesh need a wicket because England look in control, even though the required rate has climbed above six and a half. Bangladesh need to stay in the game for as long as possible so that England start to think the unthinkable.
“Hi Rob,” says Peter Salmon. “So if Sgt Pepper (the album) came out 50 years ago, and it was 20 years before that Sgt Pepper (the fictional band leader) taught the band to play, then that would have been on 1 June 1947. Wisden tells me that on that day Middlesex were playing the touring South Africans at Lord’s, and Denis Compton was putting the finishing touches on his innings of 154 (out stumped, of course). Later that day Jim Sims took 6/89 with his leg spin (he called googlies ‘wozzlers’ apparently) as South Africa were rolled for 217. Left 226 to win, Middlesex got there with 4 wickets in hand, thanks to a fine 133 from Bill Edrich. Sgt Pepper was obviously no cricket lover if he decided to skip that for rehearsals.”
14th over: England 71-1 (Hales 40, Root 30) The offspinner Mosaddek replaces whoever was bowling before him. Mustafizur. Yes, Mustafizur. Four from the over, all low-risk stuff.
13th over: England 67-1 (Hales 38, Root 28) Root places Soumya carefully and classily between midwicket and mid-on for four, and then helps himself to a free boundary with a tickle to fine leg. If England got on top of this run-chase they should try to win it as quickly as possible. The ghosts of run-rate and 1999 could hang over this tournament, especially if Bangladesh lose all three matches.
“While England supporters of all ages position themselves in various postures of panic, one thing that struck me watching England at Edgbaston last year was how professional and calm they are,” says Ian Copestake. “They do actually seem to be in control of what they are doing though from the outside it looks like passionless unconcern. I have thus decided to believe that these boys are ruthless and have a plan and a confidence that anyone who lived through the 1980s finds terrifying.”
12th over: England 58-1 (Hales 38, Root 19) A single from Root brings up a confident, calm fifty partnership. After that early wicket, it would have been easy to think DEAR GOD WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN WE’LL NEVER ESCAPE MEDIOCRITY OR BANGLADESH but instead they have just played as they usually do.
“First reviews aren’t always wrong,” says Pat Nagle. “I can remember a review in The NME of the first Police single which went something like ... ‘The Police. Great name for exiting new punk band. Crap name for boring white reggae band’.”
11th over: England 55-1 (Hales 38, Root 16) Soumya Sarkar replaces Mashrafe. He bowls old-fashioned medium pace, and first impressions are that he is not - to borrow Paul Edwards’ phrase - the vicar of Dibbly-Dobbly. England settle for four singles in his first over but they will surely go after him pretty soon.
10th over: England 51-1 (Hales 35, Root 15) It’s time to see the young left-arm quick Mustafizur, whose numbers in all formats are quite spectacular. His second ball is a fraction wide and Hales times it emphatically through the covers for four. He has 35 from 31 balls, Root 15 from 21, and England have switched off the Jaws theme for the time being.
9th over: England 45-1 (Hales 30, Root 14) Hales is starting to dominate Bangladesh. As in the previous over he gets a boundary from the last ball, this time by mowing Mashrafe down the ground. Tamim Iqbal should probably have saved the boundary.
“This is where the age difference really kicks in,” says John Starbuck of Sgt Pepper. “What is just ‘the past’ to you is a lived experience for us older types. I well remember not only the fuss about the Beeb not playing Day in the Life, but even more so the panic among DJs on the radio, chuntering about whether or not this new format (a really thematic album with an intro and outro) would mean the demise of regular rock & pop programmes. Little did they know ...”
8th over: England 38-1 (Hales 25, Root 12)Hales has two let-offs in as many balls. He was out of his crease at the non-striker’s end when Shakib diverted Root’s straight drive just past the stumps, and then he smashed Shakib not far short of extra cover. He ends the over productively, however, with a big hoick to cow corner for four. This hasn’t been a flying start for England, though Hales and Root are playing comfortably and they will be happy that Shakib has bowled four of his overs.
7th over: England 30-1 (Hales 18, Root 11)“It seems utterly remarkable that Rashid was dropped the day after Morgan publicly spoke out about the value of a settled team and the importance of consistency,” says Tom van der Gucht. “Rashid has consistently been our top wickettaker over the past two years, whilst Roy (who is apparently undroppable, both by the England management and by the opposing fielders) is kept in order to maintain the winning formula. What’s even more remarkable is that Ball and Ali were selected (presumably on bowling merit) ahead of Rashid because Bangladesh played him well last time they met. Looking at the stats, it seems thay literally everyone else in the world seems to have played Ball and Ali well during the same period of time...”
Heh. England will say he wasn’t dropped, that they simply picked a seamer over a spinner. Which is correct, but it was still the wrong decision. You make an interesting point about Moeen though. I love him to bits and he’s excellent at No7 but his record with the ball in all forms has been dreadful in the last 2-3 years. Nobody ever comments on that, except ‘Fearless’ van der Gucht.
6th over: England 27-1 (Hales 17, Root 9) England won’t take many risks against Shakib, who is Bangladesh’s best bowler, and they collect four low-risk runs from his third over.
5th over: England 23-1 (Hales 15, Root 7) Hales works Mashrafe off the pads for four, and then creams another boundary square on the off side. It’s not often you say this in cricket but England have looked a lot calmer since losing a wicket. Everything felt fraught while Roy was at the crease, such is his poor form.
“Re: the Google game, just had a try: 6 over long off, third ball,” says Martin Crookall. “Who says it can’t be done?” Are we still on Sgt Pepper here?
4th over: England 13-1 (Hales 6, Root 6) While Root is at the crease, all will be well with England’s world. He gets his first boundary with a beautifully timed push through the covers off Shakib.
“There is an unexplainable joy to following England when they enter ‘Tournament mode’,” says Phil Withall. “The fact that they have been playing well and looking solid prior to any major event goes out the window once the serious stuff starts. It’s like watching a new TV series where the writers and cast are normally brilliant yet it could all go horribly wrong. Love it.”
3rd over: England 7-1 (Hales 5, Root 1) Here’s Ian Copestake. “Like playing for turn where there is none, I misread your opening salvo as ‘Hello oiks’.”
Have you not heard about our personalised OBO service?
Roy’s horrible little innings comes to an end. He was starting to panic, having scored one from his first seven deliveries with a couple of near misses, and tried to manufacture a scoop over short fine leg. He didn’t get enough on it and Mustafizur leapt to his right to take a superb two-handed catch.
2nd over: England 6-0 (Roy 1, Hales 5) The left-arm spinner Shakib will share the new ball. As Nasser says on Sky, this is a good move to Roy in particular. He is not the best when starting against spin. He’s not even the 48th best. For now it’s Hales on strike, and he slices a loose drive that loops just over the man at cover and away for four. This is a good start from Bangladesh.
Here’s Chris Drew on the subject of Sgt Pepper. “I guess the song for England has to be: ‘Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 6 for 4’?” I assume that was a Sgt Pepper reference, anyway. I am mildly ashamed to relate that I’ve never listened to it.’m a xenophobe to the past.
1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 1, Hales 1) The out-of-form Jason Roy - 33 runs in five ODI innings this summer - faces up to the experienced Mashrafe Mortaza. It’s a nervous start, with an inside-edge onto the pad that dribbles wide of off stump. He then gets off the mark with a simple work to leg. Hales, in solidarity, does likewise.
“I’m surprised the decision to drop Rashid hasn’t come in for more scrutiny,” says Mike Shepherd. “The second highest wicket-taker since the last World Cup sits on the bench while the Banglas look utterly untroubled through the middle overs. This may be the New England, but the habit of unfathomable changes on the eve of a tournament clearly dies hard.”
While I grab a stiff coffee, here’s my colleague Tom Davies. “Tim wrote ‘Rob Smyth will be here shortly to see whether England resume normal service or fall to a famous defeat.’ Surely, when it comes to England in tournaments, ‘resuming normal service’ is‘falling to a famous defeat’.”
Ha, yes, especially against Bangladesh. The last time England beat them at a global tournament, Paul Nixon and Saj Mahmood were in the team.
Hello folks. Nobody elicits affectionate schadenfreude quite like the England cricket team. We desperately want them to win, but we also appreciate their innate superiority in the field of farce. England have improved unimaginably since losing to Bangladesh at the 2015 World Cup, so it would irresistibly hilarious if they started the 2017 Champions Trophy by losing to Bangladesh.
After a thrilling batting performance from Bangladesh, England’s target is 306. It would have been more had Bangladesh not lost their way just a touch towards the end of the innings. The target is gettable for these batsmen in this era and on this pitch, but it’s not so easy to bat with freedom when defeat is unthinkable – as England showed when they failed to chase 276 against Bangladesh at the World Cup. They are a different team now and they should win. The alternative is too funny to contemplate.
The 2017 Champions Trophy got off to a watchful start – and then a highly entertaining one. Bangladesh did all they could to avoid a collapse, then remembered that it was the 21st century, and made hay. Tamim Iqbal scored a memorable hundred and put on 166 for the third wicket wth Mushfiqur Rahim, which was both a record for Bangladesh outside Asia and a delight for their many supporters in the stands.
England went soft in the middle overs before recovering well at the death. If they were unlucky to lose Chris Woakes to a side strain, they were unwise to leave out Adil Rashid, who could well have been their ace on this flat, bouncy wicket. Thanks for your company, your emails and tweets, and your ingenuity with lines from Sgt Pepper. Rob Smyth will be here shortly to see whether England resume normal service or fall to a famous defeat.
50th over: Bangladesh 305-6 (Mahmudullah 6, Mosaddek 2) England usually deploy Woakes at the death, but they don’t miss him at all as Plunkett steps up. He finishes with 4-59, and England will be marginally the happier team as they queue at the buffet.
The cameo comes to an end as Sabbir picks out the man at long-on – Jason Roy, who could have been forgiven if he was pondering his own run of poor form. That’s 300-6.
49th over: Bangladesh 300-5 (Sabbir 24, Mahmudullah 5) Hang on, the momentum is shifting again. Sabbir ramps Ball for four over short fine leg, then smashes him square with a stroke that would be four more if there was anyone but Bairstow out there. Sabbir has 24 off 14, a cracking cameo, and this is Bangladesh’s highest ODI score against England.
48th over: Bangladesh 287-5 (Sabbir 14, Mahmudullah 2) Morgan opts to use up Wood’s last over, Sabbir scoops him for four, and Wood finishes wicketless again. His figures of 10-1-58-0 don’t tell the whole story: he’s been fast and highly watchable. Or, as The Guardian’s spell-check wants to put it, washable.
47th over: Bangladesh 278-5 (Sabbir 7, Mahmudullah 0) Ball deserved that wicket. Bangladesh are heading for 300 rather than 320, which is a waste.
A touch of balm for Ball as Shakib chips him down the throat of England’s best fielder. That’s 277-5, and the initiative has changed hands.
46th over: Bangladesh 272-4 (Shakib 10, Sabbir 1) The two noobs rise to the challenge: Shakib picks up four by swatting at Wood and gloving it onto his helmet.
45th over: Bangladesh 261-4 (Shakib 1, Sabbir 0) Plunkett’s perseverance brings a sudden turnaround. Two wickets in two balls, and only three off the over. You can’t blame Tamim, but Mushfiqur’s decision to go big was a baffling one, which has left two brand-new batsmen at the crease.
David Hopkins joins the fray. “In contrast to Lee Smith’s mild rebuke [41st over], I happen to think that the OBO’s mixture of pop-culture chat interspersed with the odd mention of the cricket is Getting Better all the time.”
Two in two! An ill-judged short-arm slog from the previously blameless Mushfiqur, a neat catch at long-on, and a twist in the tale.
Tamim finally picks the wrong ball to pull and sends a top edge into the sky. Bangladesh are 261-3, and that’s the end of a storming innings.
43rd over: Bangladesh 259-2 (Tamim 127, Mushfiqur 78) Morgan still has some faith in Ball, which suits the batsmen just fine. Mushfiqur, who has been breezing along at a run a ball, goes up a gear, playing an inside-out chip for two, a ramp for four and a cut for four more. Are England taking part in another of the great days in Bangladesh’s history?
42nd over: Bangladesh 246-2 (Tamim 126, Mushfiqur 66) Liam Plunkett, drawing on all his experience, deceives Tamim with a couple of slower balls, but still concedes three twos. The partnership reaches 150 off 144 balls, which is a record for Bangladesh outside Asia. And what a time to do it.
42nd over: Bangladesh 241-2 (Tamim 121, Mushfiqur 66) It’s all sixes and singles at the moment. Lovely stuff from these two.
Wood comes back and Tamim flicks him off his legs for another six. That was Goweresque.
41st over: Bangladesh 231-2 (Tamim 113, Mushfiqur 64) Moeen concedes only two singles after that six, which is a crumb of comfort for England, but Tamim is eyeing a daddy hundred.
A mild reproach from Lee Smith. “I think we are in danger of losing sight that Bangladesh are in the process of building a handsome score with all this talk of Sgt Pepper (the White Album is better), Jane Austen and twilight zone television schedules.” The customer is always right, but are you sure about the White Album, Lee?
Tamim lofts Moeen in the general direction of the Houses of Parliament. In the stand, a Bangladesh supporter dances for joy, brandishing a cuddly tiger.
40th over: Bangladesh 223-2 (Tamim 106, Mushfiqur 63) Morgan sends for Plunkett, and Tamim gives him the charge and plunks him to midwicket for four. Nine off the over, and Bangladesh have their eye on 320.
John Starbuck chips in on Sgt Pepper. “If Wood takes plenty of wickets, we might see the horse dancing the waltz.”
39th over: Bangladesh 214-2 (Tamim 100, Mushfiqur 62) Morgan’s approach to fixing a hole is to replace one off-spinner with another. Mooen returns and the batsmen help themselves to five singles, the last of which gives Tamim a well-earned hundred. England have been strangely passive for the past half an hour.
Tamim nudges Moeen for a single off his legs and that’s his century. He raises his bat and both of his arms, as well as he may. It’s been a superb innings.
38th over: Bangladesh 209-2 (Tamim 97, Mushfiqur 60) The Oval can be unforgiving for the bowlers and poor old Jake Ball is getting a hammering. One upper cut for four is followed by another, played from the crease this time. Morgan badly needs to grab the wheel.
Mushfiqur goes down the track to Ball – and plays that upper cut again, for four. A shot that sums up the day so far.
37th over: Bangladesh 199-2 (Tamim 96, Mushfiqur 51) Root is given a third over, rather mysteriously, and Mushfiqur celebrates with an off-drive for four. That’s a fine fifty, and a very fine hundred partnership.
36th over: Bangladesh 191-2 (Tamim 94, Mushfiqur 45) Ball goes for a few more singles and a four, as Mushfiqur brings out that upper cut again. On this flat and bouncy pitch, England may be backing themselves to match whatever Bangladesh manage.
35th over: Bangladesh 184-2 (Tamim 92, Mushfiqur 40) And now, as Root continues, they milk an actual off-spinner. No sign of the nervous nineties from Tamim.
Tom Adam picks up the Sgt Pepper thread. “I’m waiting for Tamim to fend at a bouncer and miss, with the ball glancing off his shoulder and beyond Buttler, so that as Tamim starts to run he can hum ‘I get byes with a little help from my fends’. I’m here all week.”
34th over: Bangladesh 179-2 (Tamim 90, Mushfiqur 37) Morgan withdraws Stokes, possibly in a an attempt to avoid spontaneous combustion, and sends for Jake Ball, whose first spell was a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. The batsmen keep it simple and milk him like an off-spinner.
33rd over: Bangladesh 174-2 (Tamim 87, Mushfiqur 35) Morgan turns to Joe Root’s off-spin, which is like waving a banner saying “We were wrong to drop Rashid”. But Root is a decent seventh bowler. He varies his pace and concedes only three singles, plus two wides. That’s drinks, with Bangladesh, the rank outsiders, on top.
32nd over: Bangladesh 169-2 (Tamim 85, Mushfiqur 34) Tamim breaks the spell with a gorgeous little dab for four through the vacant slips. Stokes gives him a volley of abuse, which, when I put it into Google Translate, comes out as “Great shot”.
31st over: Bangladesh 163-2 (Tamim 80, Mushfiqur 33) Wood has the extra pace to get his bouncer past Mushfiqur’s upper cut. He and Stokes have slowed down the scoring, but what England really want from them is a wicket or two. Meanwhile, on the boundary, some drums are being played by some beefeaters.
30th over: Bangladesh 159-2 (Tamim 78, Mushfiqur 31) Morgan has turned to both of his Make Things Happen merchants, Wood and Stokes, and they’re not making anything happen. It’s a tribute to a flat track and a fine, controlled performance from these two batsmen.
An email from Phil Russell, picking up on Phil With all (last over). “Lose it in the sky with dire hands, surely?”
29th over: Bangladesh 156-2 (Tamim 76, Mushfiqur 30) Wood restores order for half an over, but then he serves up a soft bouncer which Tamim dismisses in front of square. At the risk of jinxing him, you’d have to say he deserves a hundred.
An email from Phil Withall. “You mentioned Jim Laker commentating on the BBC highlights. Surely with the levels of technology available nowadays it should be possible to create a virtual Jim, or for that matter an Arlott or Johnston. The future of cricket coverage lies in the past.”
28th over: Bangladesh 150-2 (Tamim 71, Mushfiqur 29) Plunkett gives way to Stokes, and Mushfiqur plays an imperious pull for four. That’s the fifty partnership, 52 off only eight overs. England, like the ball, are apt to go a bit soft in the middle overs. Morgan sends for Mark Wood to make something happen.
27th over: Bangladesh 143-2 (Tamim 70, Mushfiqur 23) Some milking of Moeen, and a delicious late cut for three from Mushfiqur, the only right-hand batsman we have seen so far.
Meanwhile Robin Hobbs picks up on Brian Withington’s point about Moeen’s drop (23rd over). “Did he lose it in the sky with dire mitts?”
26th over: Bangladesh 136-2 (Tamim 68, Mushfiqur 18) They may have decided to target Plunkett too. Tamim plays a flick-pull for four, a cover shove for four more, and a late cut that deserves more than a single. He is two-thirds of the way to a memorable hundred.
25th over: Bangladesh 125-2 (Tamim 59, Mushfiqur 16) The batsmen finally get the message that Moeen is the man to lay into. That’s the half-way mark, and the run rate reaches five an over. They’ll be looking for seven from here on in.
Mooed finds himself under attack at last, as Tamim dances down the track and lofts him over long-off. Lovely shot.
24th over: Bangladesh 116-2 (Tamim 52, Mushfiqur 14) Plunkett gets the plug back in. He has been averaging two wickets a game this year, without anyone but the Sky caption geeks noticing.
23rd over: Bangladesh 113-2 (Tamim 51, Mushfiqur 12) Moeen keeps it steady.
An email from Brian Withington. “Struggling to find an appropriate reference to mark the Sgt Pepper 50th anniversary before someone reaches 64 not out,” he muses. “Presumably Moeen is hoping for some friendly assistance to fix a big enough hole to hide in after that drop?”
22nd over: Bangladesh 108-2 (Tamim 50, Mushfiqur Rahim 8) Eleven off the over as each batsman helps himself to a four. Stuie Neale’s 300 is still in sight.
An email from John Starbuck. “I don’t know how many OBO readers are also regular Guardian readers, but they may be unaware that the Guardian’s TV listings are consistently wrong in respect of this series, because they have not looked at the EPG. The Beeb is showing daily highlights, usually late on BBC2, of every game. Tonight it’s BBC2 23:20-00:10, in place of Jane Austen: Behind closed doors, which is no great loss as it got terrible reviews.” Yes, great to see the old highlights back on the Beeb, even if they are a bit late in the day. I’m fully expecting commentary from Jim Laker.
For Tamim Iqbal, who emerges from a mini-drought with a flashing cut for four. He joins Sgt Pepper in reaching an entertaining half-century.
Mushfiqur, seeing that there’s a nettle to be grasped, hits a dreamy off-drive for four off the first ball of Plunkett’s over.
21st over: Bangladesh 97-2 (Tamim 46, Mushfiqur Rahim 1) Moeen continues, and bowls a maiden, to Tamim, of all people. Mo has 0-6 off his three overs, and there was I thinking they would target him.
A tweet from Ian Johnston. “Re Google Doodles (17th over) - Steve Castle needs to practise some more. To release a Goweresque cover drive is easy (ish).”
20th over: Bangladesh 97-2 (Tamim 46, Mushfiqur Rahim 1) So Morgan has made things happen by bringing Stokes on, and by taking him off. Plunkett returns, Imrul capitulates after a promising cameo, and there are only two runs off the over.
A slog from Imrul, and Wood hurls himself to his left at deep mid-on and somehow clings on as he bumps against the turf. That’s the first great catch of this Champions Trophy.
19th over: Bangladesh 93-1 (Tamim 45, Imrul 19) Moeen keeps it tight and has another shout for lbw against Imrul, which doesn’t detain the umpire for long. A Sky caption tells us there have been 70 dots this morning, proof of Bangladesh’s watchfulness.
18th over: Bangladesh 93-1 (Tamim 44, Imrul 18) Ben Stokes bowls his fourth over, which is more than he managed in either of his outings against South Africa. No sign of pain from his dicky knee, but he may wince as Imrul upper-cuts for a nonchalant four.
17th over: Bangladesh 86-1 (Tamim 42, Imrul 13) Here’s Mo, and he has an lbw shout against Tamim first ball. It was straightening, but not quite enough. The rest of the over is liquorice allsorts, including a wide. A shame not to see Rashid on this bouncy track.
Meanwhile Steve Castle is keeping his eye on the big issues. “Re the Google Cricket Doodle. It seems to replicate village cricket rather well, in that every single shot ends up being an ungainly hoick to the leg side, regardless of when you swing the bat. The snails are predictably slow in the field with singles being turned into twos or even threes. However they very rapidly return to their positions before each delivery – obviously penalties for slow over rates in Googleland are positively Draconian. I’ve only struck one boundary so far. Has anyone managed to hit a six, or better still, hit the ball to the off side?!”
16th over: Bangladesh 82-1 (Tamim 39, Imrul 13) Stokes gets one past Imrul’s outside edge, but Bangladesh keep the score ticking over. They can be satisfied with the first chapter of the day: half old-school plod, half 21st-century free-for-all, and nine wickets in hand. England haven’t been bad but they have worries with injuries, and, with no Rashid, need Moeen to bowl better than he has fielded.
15th over: Bangladesh 79-1 (Tamim 38, Imrul 9) Plunkett tries to tuck Tamim up, which has been England’s tactic all morning. It seems to be working less and less well as Tamim straight-drives for four and slashes through the slips for four more. But Plunkett, who has seen it all before, bounces back superbly, beating the bat with the last two balls of the over. Good contest.
14th over: Bangladesh 68-1 (Tamim 29, Imrul 9) A rare case of Morgan being too defensive. Stokes finds the edge of Imrul’s bat and it goes straight through the gap at first slip. Morgan then shuts the stable door, bringing in Joe Root, and Imrul rubs it in nicely with a flick for four, at catchable height, through the resulting gap.
13th over: Bangladesh 57-1 (Tamim 27, Imrul Kayes 0) Liam Plunkett comes on, beats the bat and concedes only a single. What a trouper he has become.
12th over: Bangladesh 56-1 (Tamim 26, Imrul Kayes 0) Morgan turns to Ben Stokes, whose knee is on the way to being the metatarsal of this tournament. He starts with a wide, but by the end of the over he is showing his ability to get a wicket with a bad ball. The end of an opening partnership that was first tentative, then admirable.
It’s the man with the golden arm, Ben Stokes, who bowls a long hop and somehow persuades Soumya to pick out the man at deep point. Bangladesh are 56-1.
10th over: Bangladesh 52-0 (Tamim 24, Soumya 27) The first big over. Not content with that six off Ball, Soumya adds a cut for four and a square drive for four more. And that’s the fifty up. After a wary start, Bangladesh have broken loose.
Ball bowls a perfectly normal delivery and Soumya lofts him over long-on. The first six of several hundred in this tournament, it’s a sign of a brave batsman and a flat pitch.
10th over: Bangladesh 36-0 (Tamim 23, Soumya 12) Mark Wood continues, digs it in, and Tamim nearly fends the ball off onto his stumps before pulling the next short one for a gutsy four. Wood is an unusual bowler, and not just because he likes to ride an imaginary horse. His pace demands respect, the pundits rate him, but he has never taken four wickets in this form of the game. That said, he found a way to win a match the other day without taking a wicket at all.
9th over: Bangladesh 30-0 (Tamim 18, Soumya 11) Tamim’s eye, which is quite something, is in now. He flicks Ball for four, then plays a lovely little whip for none, and another for a single. He has 15 off his last 14 balls.
8th over: Bangladesh 25-0 (Tamim 13, Soumya 11) Tamim shows his true colours, at last, with a thumping straight drive off Wood. The cameras pick out Clive Lloyd, rather poignantly. On his watch, West Indies won the first world cricket tournament, and the second. This time, they haven’t even qualified.
7th over: Bangladesh 20-0 (Tamim 8, Soumya 11) Jake Ball bounces back from a poor first over with a fine second one, finding his length, beating Tamim outside off, and then luring him into what should have been a routine catch.
An email from Chris Drew. “Kandukuru need to remember this is an England cricket side. To paraphrase Stingray - anything can happen in the next three weeks.”
Ball to Tamim, who clips it straight to square leg, where Moeen Ali can’t hold on.
6th over: Bangladesh 20-0 (Tamim 8, Soumya 11) A single for each batsman, a run-out chance if Bairstow had hit the stumps, and a four off the glove over the head of Jos Buttler, as Wood extracts the tennis-ball bounce for which the Oval is known.
5th over: Bangladesh 14-0 (Tamim 3, Soumya 10) Jake Ball takes over from Woakes, goes too full and allows Bangladesh to get going, with Soumya playing a whip and a cover drive for two handsome fours in a row. He has 10 off 13.
An email from Kandukuru Nagarjun, picking up on my question about whether England are worthy favourites. “This England team, as good as they are to watch, are flat-track bullies. I mean that in the best sense possible. As SA proved the other day, the only thing that can stop them is high-quality fast bowling on a pitch that gives both bowlers and batsmen a chance. Australia may well beat them if they go in with Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson. That could be like having to face Johnson, Lee, McGrath and McDermott. Scary if your opening batsman has Roy’s technique.
4th over: Bangladesh 6-0 (Tamim 3, Soumya 2) Another maiden: Wood is banging it in and Tamim is seeing it off. He has 3 off 17 balls, which is quite out of character.
3rd over: Bangladesh 6-0 (Tamim 3, Soumya 2) Soumya flashes at Woakes, a little loosely, and turns a two into one with some dopey running. Tamim does better with a crisp tuck for three. Bangladesh not exactly starting with a bang. But worryingly for England, Woakes is leaving the field.
2nd over: Bangladesh 2-0 (Tamim 0, Soumya 1) Mark Wood takes the new ball, finding his usual snap and some swing. Soumya gets the first run of the tournament with a push into the covers, which is greeted like a four. When Wood bowls a bouncer to Tamim, it goes so high that it’s a wide.
“Morning Tim,” says Stuie Neale. “Restrict BAN to under 300 would be good.” Like the Chinese premier who was asked about the French Revolution, I reckon it’s a bit early to say.
1st over: Bangladesh 0-0 (Tamim Iqbal 0, Soumya Sarkar 0) Chris Woakes opens the proceedings with, of all things, a maiden. Tamim, who can be so explosive, is watchful, but there are no alarms.
One well-known Englishman has already reached his half-century today, and in this case we can safely say that a hundred is a sure thing. Happy birthday, Sgt Pepper.
The national anthems are played, with Bangladesh’s getting a warm hand from the crowd. And the first email has landed. “The Google cricket Doodle is quite addictive,” says Tom van der Gucht, “although possibly not quite up there on the pinnacle of all-time great online cricket games – Stick Cricket. A game that repeatedly sucked me into a misplaced sense of confidence, as I walloped Akram and Holding for repeated 6s, only for my spirit to be broken as I was then skittled by medium-paced dobblers, which seemed impossible to time, reducing my innings to dust.” We’ve all been there.
Eoin Morgan wins the toss and decides too have a bowl. On a sunny morning, Bangladesh may not mind that. England spring a surprise by leaving out Adil Rashid in favour of Jake Ball. It suggests that Ben Stokes won’t be bowling, although Morgan says otherwise. Ball did take an ODI five-for in Dhaka last autumn, and he was England’s most testing bowler against South Africa on Monday.
Bangladesh do some tinkering too, leaving out the gifted teenager Mehedi Hasan and packing the batting. The man to watch is Mustafizur Rahman, the 21-year-old left-arm seamer whose record in this form of the game is already excellent. “It’s time for the talking to stop,” says Nasser Hussain, which is an interesting line for a commentator to take.
England, apparently. According to the bookies, today’s game at the Oval pits the tournament favourites (5/2 or so) against the rank outsiders Bangladesh (66/1 if you shop around). But the rankings tell a different story: it’s fifth in the world against sixth.
Exciting as they’ve been for the past two years, England have never won a world 50-over tournament. And the bookies, and the punters, are usually keen on past form – that’s presumably why they’re saying Man United will return to the top three next season, and Spurs, a much better team at the moment, will sink to sixth. What do you think: are England really more likely to lift this cup than Australia or India?
Morning everyone, and welcome to our over-by-over covfefe of the Champions Trophy. Some international tournaments are so pumped up with hype that they soon feel deflated, while others are under-sold and turn out to be a pleasant surprise. As with parties, it’s better not to look forward to them too much. The Champions Trophy, now in its eighth edition, is one of the quiet ones.
It’s also the one they couldn’t hang. The 2013 tournament, also held in England and Wales, was due to be the last, but then even the people who run cricket realised that it made no sense to kill off an event that is succinct, to the point, vibrant and hard to predict.
Tim will be here shortly.
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