Tempers fray as Mortaza leads Tigers from front
Bangladesh 238-8 beat England 204 by 34 runs
BANGLADESH bounced back from defeat in the first match as England’s poor start with the bat saw them slump to a defeat.
Home captain Mashrafe Mortaza led the way with both bat and ball after his side had been restricted by good bowling to 238-8.
But that target looked too much for England when they fell to 26-4, and though captain Jos Buttler made a 48-ball half-century, the tourists still fell 35 runs short of their target.
Tigers skipper Mortaza said:“If you look at the other match on Friday that we lost, it was not that professional I guess, but this was really professional.
“I just slogged, but luckily it helped the team and I was more than happy to get some wickets for the team.The wicket was not gripping much for our batting and I tried to play my natural shots and luckily the ball hit the right areas of my bat.”
While Mortaza impressed with both bat and ball, it was Mahmudullah’s 75 that really pushed Bangladesh through to their total.
Mortaza then took three early wickets before a 79-run partnership between Buttler and Jonny Bairstow gave England some hope.
Buttler was out lbw after a Bangladesh review, and the England wicketkeeper was left visibly angry as the Bangladesh players celebrated his dismissal.
When Buttler fell, England still needed 115 runs and though the final pair of Adil Rashid and Jake Ball had a bit of fun, the damage had already been done.