Mammoth target tames the Tigers
Batting first, England set a massive target of 387 runs, breaking the record for the most 300+ totals posted in ODI matches on the trot. They crossed the mark for the 7th time in a row on Saturday. Bangladesh could only compete with a modest 280 runs, resulting in not just a loss, but also a plunge in their net run rate. (AFP Photo)
Roy's dominance shines amidst the run-fest
Just 5 runs short of the highest individual score by an English batsman in World Cups, Roy stole the match away from the Tigers with his fast-paced 153 off just 121 balls. The opener's innings was studded with 14 boundaries, and five massive sixes. (AP Photo)
Openers fire again for England
7 totals of above 300 in a row don't happen by mistake- and definitely not without consistent, outstanding opening partnerships. This is the threat tournament favorites are required to impose: Rohit and Dhawan for India, Finch and Warner for Australia, and perhaps the most in-form of them all, Roy and Bairstow for England. The opening pair posted 128 runs in just 19 overs, laying the groundwork for the huge total. (AP Photo)
Plunkett and Woakes: the long handles deliver
Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett, despite being mainstream bowlers, have gained the reputation of dangerous finishers in the English side. Putting on 45 runs for the 7th wicket off just 17 balls, the pair made sure bowling out Bangladesh would be a lot easier after the pressure they effectively put them under. (Reuters Photo)
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers
It's bad when the best bowling figures for the team are 67 runs for 2 wickets in 10 overs. But despite being hit for three consecutive sixes in the 34th over by Jason Roy, the spinner finally heaved a sigh of relief on the fourth ball, putting the brakes on what seemed to be Roy's journey to an inevitable double century, and England's route to- quite impossibly- an even larger total. (Reuters Photo)
Shakib's 121 goes in vain
Despite notching up a well-paced century, Shakib al Hasan returned to the pavilion disappointed, as he fell in just the 40th over to Ben Stokes. In most other matches the innings would have had more significance, but Roy's 153 and the massive target neatly overshadowed the efforts of the southpaw. (Reuters Photo)
Too much for the batsmen to handle
With no other batsmen except Shakib (121) and Mushfiqur (44) scoring more than thirty runs, Bangladesh highlighted the fact that only their two most experienced batsmen perform adequately under such pressure. While batting first the team had recently posted a total of 330, the extra 56 runs proved to be just too much to ask of the underdogs.
Stokes and Archer choke the Tigers
With both bowlers scalping three wickets apiece for economies of less than 4, there was little left for Bangladesh to do apart from trying to save their net run rate. By the 44th over, the batsmen had accepted the fate of the match, rotating the strike cautiously, but only until Stokes and Archer sent back the four tail-enders to seal the match for England. (Reuters Photo)