Following the announcement that Dawid Malan, at 36 years and 37 days, had become England's oldest male World Cup centurion, left-arm seamer Reece Topley shone with the ball, taking four wickets.
In their final 2019 ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh, England had scored 386 runs for six wickets. It was like seeing a Hollywood disaster movie when you already knew how it was going to end when you rewatched the mismatch after four years. However, there is a significant distinction between losing gracefully and losing valiantly. Despite the margin, this 137-run defeat felt more like the latter.
At the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, opener Dawid Malan (140, 107b, 16x4, 5x6) signalled the arrival of the Three Lions with their first World Cup victory on Tuesday, celebrating being England's oldest male centurion at 36 years and 37 days.
Reece Topley, a left-arm seamer who replaced Moeen Ali in the XI, grabbed four wickets, including two in two with the new ball, as the team defended 364 runs. Topley was a threat because of his size and natural tendency to move away from left-handers.
Now, Bangladesh had to put more effort into forging a strong alliance than attempting to score quickly. With seven fours and a six in his half-century from 38 balls, Litton Das added 72 with Mushfiqur Rahim, who also reached a fifty. However, Bangladesh's attempt to pursue the ball was quickly ended when Das was caught off balance by Chris Woakes for 72.
Malan scored four runs in the first over of the morning session when Mustafizur Rahman's full ball was driven past covers. But as the innings went on, England appeared committed to reaching the 500-run mark. As he achieved his first ODI World Cup century in 91 balls, Malan's confidence was evident. Jonny Bairstow was a major part of a partnership that opened with 115 runs. With an impressive knock of 82, Joe Root demonstrated a range of shots, including sweeps and reverse sweeps. In the process, he broke Graham Gooch's record of 897 runs to become England's all-time top run scorer in World Cups.
England, asked to bat first, took advantage of the favourable circumstances and small square boundaries. Overpitched or hurried deliveries benefited Bairstow and Malan. Perhaps contributing to England's early advantage was the fielders' initial hesitancy to dive on a shaky outfield where the ground staff had been observed sprinkling dry grass over the dusty patches prior to play commencing.
But after falling to 298/3 in 40 overs, England was only able to reach 66-6 from the final ten overs because to Shoriful Islam's speed changes and superb ground fielding. Bangladesh still found the mountain to be too steep to ascend. Its hitters knew that a victory was unlikely, so they tried to safeguard the net run rate by playing out the full 50 overs. They came close, losing by just 10 balls.
