Shortly before midnight on the eve of this match a violent storm shook Dharamsala, thunder rousing the restful as lightning turned night into day. This was not quite a performance to match from England but, having sleepwalked into the tournament, they were at times electric here, rolling over Bangladesh thanks to some hammer blows from Dawid Malan, thunderbolts from Reece Topley and lightning pace from Mark Wood, winning by 137 runs.
Malan’s career-best one-day international innings of 140 – aided by half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root – set England on their way to a potentially earth-shattering score. If their eventual total of 364 for nine was not quite that, it certainly left Bangladesh with something many non-cricketing visitors to these parts are actively seeking: a mountain to climb.
