The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
This was more like it. After crash-landing in Ahmedabad, England found themselves cruising at altitude as their World Cup took off with a 137-run thrashing of Bangladesh.
A second defeat to follow the mauling by New Zealand would have left their hopes of defending their trophy dangling from a Himalayan cable car.
But England – inspired by a powerful 140 from Dawid Malan, another half-century for Joe Root, and four wickets on World Cup debut by Reece Topley – looked reinvigorated by the mountain air. Metaphors about staring into the abyss can be quietly shelved.
Any kind of victory would have suited Jos Buttler’s team after their opening-night jitters against the New Zealanders. To win by a margin that repaired the damage to their net run-rate was a bonus, and will send them to Delhi for Sunday’s game against Afghanistan in good heart.
There wasn’t even much ado about the outfield, although England avoided too many dives, and the fast bowlers kicked up mini sandstorms with every step of their approach. With the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium still to host three more group games, we may not have heard the last of the matter.
England thrashed Bangladesh by 137 runs as they won their first game of the World Cup
Dawid Malan was immense for England as he hit 140 from 107 balls to help them post 364-9
Reece Topley – who replaced Moeen Ali in the XI – then bowled superbly to pick up four wickets
Between now and Sunday, England’s only distraction ought to be the fitness of Ben Stokes, who is trying to shake off his hip niggle in time to make a belated entrance.
For now, though, they can reflect on a job well done against opponents who have made their lives difficult in previous World Cups, but didn’t get a look in from the moment they asked England to bat – perhaps hoping that a spectacular overnight electrical storm had left the outfield even more sluggish.
In the event, its only impact was to dust the surrounding peaks with snow, though England were not here for the scenery. And Malan in particular was not to be distracted.
A scratchy 14 off 24 balls against New Zealand had triggered the usual angst about his white-ball prowess, but he looked a different proposition from the start, easing Mustafizur Rahman through the covers in the first over.
Jonny Bairstow, playing his 100th one-day international, was no slouch either, but it was Malan who caught the eye, twice launching Mustafizur for leg-side sixes as England’s openers raced away.
Not long after bringing up a 39-ball fifty, Malan lost Bairstow for 52, bowled by Shakib Al Hasan, to end an opening stand of 115 inside 18 overs. But that was the prelude to a second big partnership, as Root – who ramped Mustafizur for six – helped him put on 151 in less than 20. To think some fretted that these two couldn’t play in the same side.
By the time Malan missed a slog-sweep off Mahedi Hasan, he had thrashed 140 from 107 balls, with 16 fours and five sixes. It was his sixth ODI century in just 24 innings, which have produced an average of 63 and a strike-rate of 98. Of Jason Roy, little was heard.
Only Andrew Strauss, Roy himself and Eoin Morgan have made more for England at a World Cup, though Malan did beat Virat Kohli’s ground record of 127 – and no matter that this was just Dharamshala’s sixth ODI.
Joe Root scored a second successive half century as he made a classy 82 off just 68 balls
England were guilty of collapsing towards the end of their innings as they lost regular wickets
