Key events
19th over: Bangladesh 154-2 (Shanto 45, Shakib 2) Shanto breaks the spell, flicking Jordan for four, then using a review to save his skin after a poor LBW decision – the ball pitched well outside leg. Shanto has been a boss since Das was out, hogging the strike even though his captain Shakib is at the other end.
18th over: Bangladesh 144-2 (Shanto 36, Shakib 2) Buttler has one over of Archer left and he plays that card now. Archer, just like when he first emerged in 2019, has gone from fringe figure to leader of the pack in no time. His silky hostility keeps the batters honest and allows only four singles and a leg-bye, so England have now had three good overs in a row. Riches!
WICKET! Das c Salt b Jordan 73 (Bangladesh 139-2)
17th over: Bangladesh 139-2 (Shanto 34) Jordan returns, bearing slower balls and yorkers. “This is his art, his skill,” Nasser says, “and he’s nailed it in this over.” Helped by some sharp fielding from Archer, Jordan goes 1, 1, dot, 1, dot … wicket! Das plays that airy pull of his and this time picks out Phil Salt, who pouches the ball as if England had never dropped anything. The end of a sparkling knock from Das, his highest in T20 internationals.
16th over: Bangladesh 136-1 (Das 72, Shanto 32) England need an over of calm. Sam Curran just about supplies it, using the width outside off and conceding only a two and three singles, but there’s still no sign of a wicket.
15th over: Bangladesh 131-1 (Das 71, Shanto 28) Buttler plays his other ace – Rashid, returning for his final over. Das, on top of the world now, goes inside-out to stroke him over extra cover. Rashid finishes with 4-0-23-1. He and Archer have been in a league of their own.
Another sitter goes down!
14th over: Bangladesh 122-1 (Das 64, Shanto 26) Archer returns for his third over, showing how badly England need a wicket. His extra pace draws a top-edged pull from Das – and it’s another drop! By Duckett again! What is going off out there? Archer can only smile, ruefully. Das tries it again and gets another top edge, for four over Buttler’s head. And yet again – this time he gets hold of it, hitting his first six of this innings. He could get a hundred now.
Fifty to Das!
13th over: Bangladesh 108-1 (Das 51, Shanto 25) Moeen comes off, Rehan Ahmed comes back. Das, not bothered who’s bowling, tucks a single into the on side to reach a fine fifty off 41 balls. Shanto celebrates with another six, slog-swept square, which brings up the fifty partnership off just 33 balls.
12th over: Bangladesh 98-1 (Das 49, Shanto 17) And here’s Chris Jordan… but this ploy doesn’t work either, as Das plays a whippy pull for four to midwicket and then a lovely chip-drive for four more past mid-off.
11th over: Bangladesh 89-1 (Das 41, Shanto 16) Here is Moeen, presumably coming on to counter the left-handed Shanto. But the ploy backfires: Shanto, who has been getting ’em in singles, sees a flighted delivery and deposits it over the long-on boundary for the first six of the day. Mo bites back, inducing a bat-pad prod that would be a catch at silly point if such a thing existed in T20 cricket. There’s some more scrappy fielding from England and the partnership is already 34, off only 21 legitimate deliveries.
Drinks: Bangladesh on top
10th over: Bangladesh 77-1 (Das 40, Shanto 5) Buttler needs to keep one over from Rashid up his sleeve, and he’s got plenty of options with this bottom-heavy line-up. He could bring on Moeen Ali, or Chris Jordan, but he opts to recall Curran, who bowls a no-ball, then a wide, to make two successive free hits. Buttler and Mo have a word with the umpire, in fact an animated debate, about the right to change the field – which Buttler does have, as a single was taken off the first free hit. “Come on Nass, explain what’s happening,” says Mike Atherton. “I’m in Isleworth!” Nasser replies. I know the feeling.
Curran eventually bowls a good yorker and concedes just a single. That’s drinks, with Bangladesh still on top but not quite out of sight.
9th over: Bangladesh 65-1 (Das 33, Shanto 2) Rehan Ahmed continues and Das stays in the driver’s seat, helping himself to a four and two twos. England’s fielding is sloppy again, with even Rashid failing to get down to stop that four. Either the outfield is treacherous or they’ve got to the stage of a tour when you just want to get on the plane.
8th over: Bangladesh 56-1 (Das 25, Shanto 1) Buttler brought Rashid straight back, from the other end, and reaped the reward. He gives him a slip for the new batter, the dangerous Shanto. Rash now has one for 14 off three overs, while the other four bowlers have none for 41 off five – though Archer hasn’t had his just deserts.
WICKET! Talukdar c&b Rashid (Bangladesh 55-1)
Another dolly of a chance, and this time it’s taken! Talukdar goes for the reverse sweep, gets a leading edge and gives Rashid the wicket he deserves.
7th over: Bangladesh 53-0 (Das 25, Talukdar 22) One leggie replaces another as Buttler gives Rashid a rest and Ahmed a shot at redemption. He manages a few dots but spoils a good start by ending with a long hop, cut away imperiously by Das.
6th over: Bangladesh 46-0 (Das 21, Talukdar 19) Archer continues and England suddenly fall apart in the field. Ben Duckett, sliding on the square-leg boundary, lets a pull from Talukdar slip through his fingers to turn a two into four. Next ball, Talukdar top-edges and Rehan Ahmed drops a sitter at short third. And then a glimmer of a run-out chance is missed as Jordan’s throw comes in from mid-off. The PowerPlay ends with Bangladesh laughing all the way to the whitewash.
5th over: Bangladesh 38-0 (Das 19, Talukdar 13) Another fine shot from Litton Das, who sweeps Rashid for a very decisive four. Talukdar admires it so much that he tries it too – and misses. The TV director puts up the scorecard, which contains an important detail: this game is powered by Mr. White detergent powder. Handy, presumably, for cleaning the ball and the batting gloves.
4th over: Bangladesh 31-0 (Das 14, Talukdar 12) Another bowling change! Woakes gives way to Jofra Archer, whose renaissance has been the best thing about this series for England. He’s looking so sharp, from his white-tipped dreadlocks to the first few yards of his run-up. But no breakthrough yet, and Das does well to flash a cut over cover for four.
3rd over: Bangladesh 23-0 (Das 9, Talukdar 11) Bowling change! Buttler turns to spin, bringing on Adil Rashid, who bowls a good over for no reward, conceding two singles and two wides – one of them extremely harsh, as Das had moved outside off stump to make room for the slog-sweep.
2nd over: Bangladesh 19-0 (Das 8, Talukdar 10) Chris Woakes comes on, Talukdar takes a single and Litton Das, without taking a sighter, pulls out the reverse scoop! He doesn’t middle it but gets enough to send it bobbling over short third. Last ball of the over, Talukdar hits a tennis shot down the line for four more. First blood to Bangladesh.
“Morning Tim!” Morning Martin Wright! “I see this England side – all too often ever so white – has five Black and Asian heritage players. Is that a record?” That’s a good question, and not even StatsGuru can answer it. I’m hoping the hive mind can help out.
1st over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Das 1, Talukdar 4) Curran, bustling in, begins with … a wide. A slightly harsh one as it was a gentle inswinger, landing on middle and leg. Litton Das takes a single next ball and then Rony Talukdar helps himself to the first four of the day, flicking off his pads. Curran rallies to finish with a dot dot dot.
The players are out there and Sam Curran has the new ball.
Fact of the day
With thanks to Nasser Hussain … This is England’s last white-ball match until 30 August, when they face New Zealand at Chester-le-Street. This is a wild guess, but I’m going to say it anyway: the conditions may be slightly different.
Teams in full
With the series in the bag, Bangladesh bring on a debutant – Tanvir Islam, who is 26 and a slow left-armer. The pitch in Mirpur is expected to turn square again, although Shakib Al Hasan says it looks better than the one on Sunday.
Bangladesh 1 Litton Das (wkt), 2 Rony Talukdar, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Tanvir Islam, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.
England 1 Phil Salt, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Jos Buttler (capt, wkt), 5 Ben Duckett, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer.
Teams in brief
England are unchanged, so they will still have seven bowlers and only four specialist batters (including the keeper). Bangladesh make two changes – details in a minute.
Jos wins toss!
After calling wrong for weeks on end, Jos Buttler gets it right. He acknowledges this with a chuckle and elects to chase – “it gives us the best chance to win”.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the last England men’s game of the winter. It’s the end of a long and winding road that has run from Karachi to Mirpur, 1500 miles away to the east, and from 20 September to today. It all started so long ago that the prime minister was Liz Truss.
In these 25 weeks England have toured five nations, one of them (Pakistan) twice. They have faced nine different opponents and played 32 matches, with one abandoned, so today’s dead rubber will be the 33rd.
Eleven of those games have been against Pakistan, six against Australia, six against Bangladesh if you include today’s, three each against South Africa and New Zealand, and one apiece against Afghanistan, Ireland, Sri Lanka and India. Here are the scores on the doors, just in case any of them have slipped your mind.
In Tests, England won 3-0 in Pakistan and drew 1-1 in New Zealand, by the barest of margins. Total: 4-1.
In ODIs, England lost 0-3 in Australia, lost 1-2 in South Africa, and won 2-1 in Bangladesh. Total: 3-6.
In T20s, England won 4-3 in Pakistan and 2-0 in Australia, and lost 0-2 (so far) in Bangladesh. In between, they only went and won the World Cup (5-1). Total: 11-6.
All told England have won 18 games, lost 13 and had one no-result, as well as the match abandoned. Does that add up to a good winter? More of a mixed one, but in sport, great as it is to be consistent, it’s more important to be remembered. And Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, whose partnerships sealed the World Cup win in 2019, both added an unforgettable feather to their caps. Buttler lifted the T20 World Cup, whereupon Stokes pulled off a 3-0 whitewash in a country where England had only ever won two Tests before.
Today feels like more of a footnote, but you never know. Phil Salt could pull off the massacre he’s been threatening; Buttler, who has had to manage some motley crews, could show his authority; Jofra Archer could maintain his mouthwatering progress on the comeback trail. And Bangladesh could pull off a whitewash of their own.
The first 20 internationals between these sides were all won by England, but since they made the breakthrough in a cliffhanger in Bristol, Bangladesh have looked their opponents in the eye and won nine games out of 21. They already have their first series win over England, thanks to the cool head of Najmul Hossain Shanto: let’s see if they can turn it into a clean sweep.
Play starts at 9am GMT, so do join me around 8.35 for the toss and teams.
