In their first Twenty20 international since last year’s World Cup final England were brought back down to dusty earth as Bangladesh emphatically outbatted them in Chattogram to win by six wickets with two overs to spare. Though Jos Buttler sparkled in providing the day’s highest individual total, several of his teammates floundered, and they needed Bangladesh’s batters to become similarly bogged down if they were to defend a score of 156 for six. Instead not one misfired, with Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 27-ball half-century the highlight.
Seven games into England’s white-ball year they are yet to win a toss, and to compound that odds-defying run the ease with which Bangladesh scored as night fell suggested they may have chosen the best of the conditions. “It definitely sped up, there was a lot more pace on the ball when we bowled and they used that quite well,” said Phil Salt. “Knowing the conditions and surface is half the battle.”
