By Sneha Rajaram
Here’s yesterday’s T20 match in a nutshell: in an unsurprising win, England beat Bangladesh by 36 runs at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Well, that was no shocker. What was truly inspiring though: Bangladesh’s performance. And here are the highlights to back it up.
First Innings: England opts to bat
Say goodbye to partisanship: Soon after the match started, the official cheerleaders, a group of schoolgirls dressed in seemingly innocuous white sports uniforms, chanted: “We want six! We want six!” until they did indeed get a six. Can we please vaanthi on the cheerleaders who only cheer for one team in the IPL?
A lesson in reliability: Opener and captain Charlotte Edwards with a score of 60 for 51. First half century of this cup! And player of the match, too. A performer to watch out for this T20.
But…pace does the job too! Bangladesh’s captain Jahanara Alam was the star of the bowling team as she took 3 wickets for 32 runs. She did bowl a few wides in the opening over, but recovered her form in her next over.
However, you gotta back it up: Bangladesh’s fielding wasn’t up to the mark. They gave away way too many runs with fumbles and almosts. Completely avoidable.
Edwards vs Ahmed, Exhibit A: Edwards was finally stumped off a ball bowled by all-rounder Rumana Ahmed.
So intimidating that it’s strangely calming: England’s final score is 153 for 7
Between the innings, between the lines: Hey, England suddenly has like, three coaches in blue who are giving them intensive fielding practice on the field! Are England getting better fielding coaching than Bangladesh is? Is that why their fielding is so seamless and menacing in the second innings?
Second Innings: Will Bangladesh do as badly as they did with India?
Short answer: nuh-uh. Bangladesh didn’t win, but they scored their highest ever T20 total with 117 for 6! They also lost by 36 runs, as opposed to their 72-run loss to India.
Power play overs: In the first six overs, England’s fielding crowded in and went on the offense. They achieved what they were aiming for: intimidation.
A lesson in patience: Bangladesh played it very slow in the first few overs. Like, completely zen. Just a few runs in the first few overs, and one wicket too, but they didn’t lose that wicket to foolhardiness, just good bowling.
The real meaning of Velcro: Bangladesh stuck around. They managed a run here, another there, but they kept their heads.
Slow warm-up: Finally Bangladesh managed a few fours and then gathered momentum. It was too late to catch up to the expected run rate. But they certainly proved to themselves that they can achieve a high score.
We partnership: Remember that highest total for Bangladesh thing? Nigar Sultana Joty (35) and Salma Khatun (32) contributed the most to it with a partnership of 64 runs.
Okay, what’s the damage? Joty was hit by the ball more than once. After taking a particularly hard hit to the tailbone as a fielder was passing the ball to the English wicket keeper, she had to sit down for a few minutes. But after a blow to the foot the physio had to come on field and take a look. Let’s hope she’s feeling better today.
Water run: Three people run across the field regularly to supply water to England’s players. This never happened with Bangladesh in the first innings! Is this about the climate, or infrastructure and funding?
Edwards vs Ahmed, Exhibit B: All-rounder Rumana Ahmed, whose batting talents are promising, was run out by England’s captain Charlotte Edwards at 19 runs. That was sad, but also pretty neat. Edwards later admitted in her on-field interview that she was more excited about this direct run-out than by her half century.
Duckworth Lewis: Clouds did gather and a Duckworth Lewis projection flashed alarmingly across the scoreboard. But no rain.
Good old hard work: Medium pacer Anya Shrubsole was noteworthy, with 2 wickets for 27 runs.
Player of the Match: Charlotte Edwards, of course! 60 for 51 in a T20 is a tall order.
Moral of the story: Watch Bangladesh if you want to learn grace under fire.
PS: Refer to ICC’s official website, ICC-Cricket.com, for live ball to ball updates on every match, tournament stats and other information.
Sources: ICC, PTI, Wisden, Cricinfo.