Bangladesh eye whitewash as NZ win a thriller
ENGLAND will today attempt to avert the embarrassment of being whitewashed by Bangladesh in their first series since becoming Twenty20 world champions.
Jos Buttler’s team head into the final match of the whiteball tour in Mirpur 2-0 down, struggling for runs and unable to freshen their personnel after opting to battle on with a 13-man squad rather than replace injured duo Tom Abell and Will Jacks. England will continue with a top six struggling in bowlerfriendly conditions and featuring Moeen Ali and Sam Curran, who both batted lower down the order in last year’s World Cup-winning campaign. However, England could be given some respite by Bangladesh, who were last night considering resting members of their impressive bowling attack. Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam and seamer Rejaur Rahman Raja are both in line for debuts. Harry Brook, one of England’s absentees here, was yesterday named the ICC’s player of the month for February, chiefly for another prolific Test series in New Zealand in which he hit a career-best 186. New Zealand dramatically squared that series with a one-run win in Wellington a fortnight ago and were involved in another five-day thriller yesterday, when they stole a bye from the final delivery of the match to beat Sri Lanka by two wickets. New Zealand, who began a rain-delayed final day with nine wickets in hand and 257 further runs required, had whittled the equation down to eight from the last over courtesy of Kane Williamson’s unbeaten hundred. When Matt Henry was run out, though, it brought the injured Neil Wagner to the crease with five runs still required. Williamson levelled the scores with a four through point and, after Asitha Fernando was given the benefit of the doubt on a wide call, New Zealand’s ninth-wicket pair scrambled the decisive single. Wagner somehow made it down to the striker’s end despite nursing a bulging disc in his back and a torn hamstring, while Williamson’s desperate dive at the other fractionally beat a direct hit (above).