WE’VE HAD LAST LAUGH
JOS BUTTLER led England to a thrilling victory against the odds over Bangladesh last night and then admitted it was made extra special because of bad feeling between the sides. England made the highest score to win a oneday international in Chittagong, clinching the series 2-1 by chasing 278 with four wickets and 13 balls to spare in front of a partisan home crowd. ‘It does feel like we’ve had the last laugh,’ said the
stand-in skipper, who was at the centre of the unsavoury incidents that marred the second ODI in Dhaka. ‘It was nice to look a few of their players in the eye and say, “well played” afterwards. It’s definitely nice to win, especially after what happened on Sunday.’ Buttler stepped in when one-day captain Eoin Morgan refused to travel to Bangladesh because of safety concerns and the absence of their leader and other key players made this a notable triumph for England — especially as Bangladesh had won their last six home series. ‘It shouldn’t be underestimated what we’ve achieved,’ said Buttler. ‘It has been a tough tour physically and mentally and to come here with a pretty young and inexperienced team was special.’ Buttler remains adamant he is happy to hand the captaincy back to Morgan against India in January, but he has provided considerable food for thought with his impressive leadership. ‘I’ve enjoyed the challenge,’ added Buttler. ‘It’s been different, a lot more emotional. I was struggling to watch the game at the end.’ Ben Stokes, who scored his maiden ODI century in the first match and was named man of the series, said: ‘The team we have had together for the last 18 months have been playing unbelievable cricket. If we carry on like this we’ll achieve our target of being world No 1.’ England now turn their focus to red-ball cricket and tomorrow begin the first of two two-day warm-up games ahead of the first Test next Thursday.