Sunday 23 October 2016

Bangladesh v England: Ben Stokes inspires 22-run win



England celebrate their victory in Chittagong
England needed 3.3 overs on the final morning to secure victory

First Test, Chittagong (day five)
England 293 & 240: Stokes 85, Shakib 5-85
Bangladesh 248 & 263: Sabbir 64*, Batty 3-65
England won by 22 runs
Scorecard
England rescued a 22-run victory on the final morning of an intriguing first Test in Chittagong as man of the match Ben Stokes took the final two wickets.
Bangladesh began the day needing 33 to beat England for the first time in a Test match, with two wickets standing.
They calmly added 10 runs before Taijul Islam was given out lbw after a review.
In the same over, Stokes removed last man Shafiul Islam, who was given out lbw and failed to overturn it on review as Bangladesh were dismissed for 263.
Bangladesh had won only seven of their 93 Tests and have beaten only Zimbabwe and an under-strength West Indies.

Reprieved by review

In a match featuring a record 26 decisions reviewed, it was perhaps inevitable that the denouement came with trial by television.
England's first wicket was a less-than-confident appeal, but they had two new referrals at their disposal after the 80-over mark in the innings and they were slipping increasingly closer to defeat.
Taijul shuffled across his stumps trying to turn the ball to leg and the ball flew off the pad for valuable leg byes, but England gambled on a review, which suggested the ball would have just straightened enough to hit the top of leg stump.
The match ended two balls later as last man Shafiul was hit on the pad outside the line of off stump, which would ordinarily be not out if the umpires were satisfied the batsman had made an attempt to play the ball.
But umpire Kumar Dharmasena deemed that no shot was played, though others might have argued it was more likely to be the limited technique of a number 11 batsman being beaten for pace by a reverse-swinging delivery approaching 90mph.
Although Shafiul called for a review, third umpire S Ravi backed his on-field colleague and the decision stood.


Sabbir Rahman
A disconsolate debutant Sabbir Rahman was not out on 64

Stokes the hero again for England

It was also fitting that the final wicket should have been taken by Stokes, who was unsurprisingly handed the man-of-the-match award.
The all-rounder's four late wickets in the first innings, followed by 85 with the bat, had wrested the advantage towards England and he was chosen to partner Stuart Broad in an all-seam attack on the final morning.
Stokes tested Taijul with a bouncer that the tailender gloved over wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow for four.
But full deliveries accounted for the final two batsmen and England's talisman inspired a great escape in a final day's play which lasted only 3.3 overs, ending a fantastic match that fluctuated throughout.

Analysis - 'Stokes has matured as a cricketer'

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew:
It's easy to come here as a quick bowler, bowl a few overs and expect the spinners to get on with it.
But quality seam bowling, with some reverse swing, has a role to play out here.
Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on BBC Test Match Special:
Stokes got the ball reversing in about the 60th over in the first innings. But he kept running in hard with pace, and that has aided him in getting those wickets.
This is going against his natural instincts as he wants to hit the pitch as a bowler and get after the ball as a batsman - he's matured as a cricketer.

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