It's farewell from us
And so we reach the final curtain. Shakib Al Hasan lifts the trophy, the fireworks go off, the crowd lap up the moment, and England finish a memorable winter with a classic English collapse. Before that, though, they did the business, winning the World Cup and pulling off a whitewash of their own in Pakistan. Some you win, and some you mess up.
It’s all been a lot of fun to watch and to write about. From the whole OBO team, a big thank-you for your company, correspondence and views on whether England can really keep on winning Tests by batting like the clappers.
We’ll see you in June, for two contrasting Tests in London: England entertain Ireland at Lord’s and Australia take on India for the World Test Championship at the Oval. Have a great spring!
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Here’s our match report from Simon Burnton in Mirpur. As my colleague Tom Davies says while sending it over, “Quite the outplaying that, in the end. All three games lost in the same way, for the same reason.”
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The player of the series is Najmul Hossain Shanto, who added another unbeaten 40 to his collection today.
The player of the match is Litton Das, who made 73, stayed in for 17 overs and then set the tone for England’s innings with a sharp stumping.
Jos Buttler congratulates Bangladesh with his usual good grace. “They outplayed us,” he admits, “and deserved their victory.” Then, less characteristically, he singles out one England player for blame. “Really disappointed in myself for not diving and making my ground,” he says. “I should have been fully committed. That’s potentially cost the game.”
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And England’s bowler of the winter? Well, there’s quite a handy performer called Anderson, but he only played four games. The winner is Sam Curran, who took the most wickets (36) and stepped up like a superstar at the World Cup. The runner-up is Mark Wood, whose 29 wickets came at an average of just 14 – even better than Jofra Archer (16) and Jimmy Anderson (17). The seam attack is looking good for the Ashes, touch Wood.
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So who is England’s man of the winter? You could make a case for Jos Buttler, who lifted a World Cup and finished second in the run-making chart with 888, at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 125 – a phenomenal return from a captain who was often saddled with a weakened team. You could also make a case for Ben Stokes, who sealed the World Cup win with his batting and won four Tests out of five as a captain, including all three in Pakistan. After all those years of indifferent captaincy from Cook and Root, with only Eoin Morgan showing how it was done, England now have two natural leaders at the same time.
But the winter winner is …. Harry Brook, who faced 1102 balls in all formats and made 1190 runs at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 108. He was so commanding at either end of his winter that he could even afford to flop in the World Cup.
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Here’s Colum Fordham, continuing in his capacity as the OBO’s answer to EW Swanton. “England have managed to conjure up a collapse from the most comfortable of positions,” he declares. “The batting after Malan and Buttler was abject, the Bangladesh bowling and field magnificent. Wordsearch? More like search for the words to describe England’s reply. Thanks for the coverage!” It’s a pleasure, even when England get a hiding.
England had one good partnership, 95 between Buttler and Malan, and then they went to pieces. They gave us a vintage collapse, losing five wickets for 28 in the space of five overs. Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer bowled well, but England fielded like a team that just wanted to get on the plane. Bangladesh, by contrast, produced a fine team performance that had several matchwinners: Litton Das, with his highest score in T20 internationals and some sharp work behind the wicket; Taskin Ahmed, with two for 26; Mehidy, with his inspired fielding; and above all the captain, Shakib, who kept calm and waited for England to crumble.
Bangladesh get their whitewash!
20th over: England 142-6 (Woakes 13, Jordan 2) Woakes keeps swinging but a couple of misses ensure that Bangladesh win by 16 runs to round off their first whitewash over England. That’s what happens when your sponsor is Mr White detergent powder.
Mid-20th over: England 140-6 (Woakes 13, Jordan 2) Hang on! Chris Woakes hasn’t given up the ghost. Hasan puts the ball outside off, where Woakes likes it, and he does very well to squeeze out a four, then another. Nineteen needed off four balls! They can’t, can they?
19th over: England 132-6 (Woakes 5, Jordan 2) After striking first ball Shakib completes a wily over, concedes only four singles, and that is essentially that. England need 27 off six balls.
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WICKET! Curran c Tanvir b Shakib 4 (England 128-6)
Sam Curran has to go for the big heave – and he gets a top edge, to give Tanvir an easy catch on debut. All the left-handers have come and gone, and there’s only one thing that can save England: a few strokes of genius from Chris Jordan.
18th over: England 128-5 (Curran 4, Woakes 3) After 13 overs, England were 100-1 and cruising. After 17, they were 123-5 and cursing. In this over, they manage to survive but can only add five runs, so now they need 31 off two overs.
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17th over: England 123-5 (Curran 2, Woakes 0) We interrupt this batting collapse to bring you important news from the print edition. “In case no reader has yet noticed,” says John Starbuck, “today’s back page of G2 features a Wordsearch devoted to cricket. 15 terms to find, but time yourself to do it in five minutes.” As a bonus, you may miss the next three wickets.
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WICKET! Duckett b Taskin 11 (England 123-5)
And another! Duckett, stepping away to give himself room, ends up giving Taskin room to spear in a fast full-length ball with a hint of reverse. England are treating us to a classic collapse.
WICKET! Moeen c Mehidy b Taskin 9 (England 119-4)
Another one! Moeen plays that easy swing of his but picks out the man at deep square, and it’s Mehidy again. England have lost three big wickets for 19 in the space of 20 balls. It’s as if they’re determined to blow it.
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16th over: England 119-3 (Duckett 10, Moeen 9) Hasan returns and bamboozles Moeen with his first two balls, taking the pace off. Mo bounces back with a big hit, a bit of a skyer but good enough to go for six. Duckett weighs in with a pull for four. England need 40 off the last four overs, so the rate is exactly ten.
Duckett dropped!
15th over: England 108-3 (Duckett 6, Moeen 2) Mehidy returns, inevitably, with two lefties to bowl at. And Litton Das, who has had a fantastic day, blots his copybook by dropping Duckett – a tough chance as it was a thick edge. Duckett, who has had an awful day, responds by showing some character with a delicate reverse paddle for four. England need 51 at ten an over.
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14th over: England 102-3 (Duckett 1, Moeen 1) So at just the stage of the innings that proved tricky earlier on, England have two new batters at the crease. Bangladesh may even be slight favourites now. England need Moeen to take charge and Duckett to make up for his horror show in the field.
WICKET! Buttler run out 40 (England 100-3)
One brings two! Ben Duckett pushes into the covers and calls for a tight single to get off the mark. Buttler is quick but it’s a direct hit from Mehidy, who finally makes his mark, and the Bangladeshis don’t need a replay to start the celebrations.
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WICKET! Malan c Das b Mustafizur 53 (England 100-2)
And there it is! Malan’s luck finally runs out as he’s late on the pull and a top edge is well caught by Das behind the wicket. Is this the turning point?
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13th over: England 100-1 (Malan 53, Buttler 40) Shakib takes Mehidy off again and brings himself back. He gets the scoring down again after those two big overs, conceding only five, but that won’t bother Buttler as Bangladesh badly need a wicket.
Fifty to Malan!
12th over: England 95-1 (Malan 50, Buttler 38) Shakib has been holding back his trump card, Mehidy’s off-spin, waiting for England’s litany of left-handers. But Buttler has stayed there, waiting too. Now Mehidy comes on and Buttler greets him with a pair of golf shots that go fizzing away for four and six. Malan works the ball into the covers for a single to reach yet another fifty, his seventh of the winter, off 43 balls. Give him a chance, as the Bangladeshis and the TV umpire have, and he will grab it with both hands.
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11th over: England 83-1 (Malan 49, Buttler 27) Taskin returns and Buttler, feeling the pressure to accelerate, puts his foot down and pulls, hard. The ball goes only a few yards from the fielder at deep square, and he can’t lay a finger on it. Malan then picks a slower ball, waits for it and pulls for four. That’s the big over England wanted, 11 off it. They need another 76 off 54 balls.
“Dawid Malan is making the most of his let-off, courtesy of the over-zealous third umpire,” says Colum Fordham. “His beautifully timed strokes really look as though he has got his eye in today, despite tempting Lady Luck. It’ll be interesting to see whether England can salvage some pride and reach the fairly testing total set by Bangladesh. Much will depend on Malan and Buttler as the rest of the batting line-up looks fairly fragile.”
Drinks: England ahead, just
10th over: England 72-1 (Malan 45, Buttler 21) Another testing over of seam from Mustafizur – three dots and three singles. That’s drinks, with England narrowly ahead but in need of a big over or two.
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9th over: England 69-1 (Malan 44, Buttler 19) Malan gets another life! He chipped a full toss from Hasan to the left of the man at short extra, Towhid Hridoy, who could only tip it round the post. England are going a bit slowly against the seamers – five an over when the rate required is eight.
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8th over: England 64-1 (Malan 42, Buttler 16) Shakib brings on Mustafizur Rahman for some left-arm seam. It’s a good over, five dots, but Malan manages a hard-hit cut for four to keep England up with the rate. The bounce, as Mike Atherton says, has been better here.
7th over: England 60-1 (Malan 38, Buttler 16) Shakib continues and Malan heads for square leg to give himself room for the cut. Next ball, he goes for the big hit to long-on, doesn’t quite get hold of it, but still picks up six as a jackknife leap from Shanto ends only in the ball being tipped over the bar. That’s 13 off the over and the fifty partnership – 55 off only 40 balls. Malan has ridden his luck, Buttler has been Buttler.
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6th over: England 47-1 (Malan 26, Buttler 15) As Hasan Mahmud comes on, Malan’s eyes light up. He greets the first ball with a dreamy on-drive and threatens something similar through extra-cover, only to find the fielder. Hasan has a retort, jagging a length ball and beating the bat. The PowerPlay ends with England recovering well from the early loss of Salt, but they always have a collapse in their back pocket, and with this line-up more than most.
5th over: England 42-1 (Malan 21, Buttler 15) Time for the first bowling change, though it’s a rather academic one as the slow left-arm of Tanvir Islam gives way to the slow left-arm of Shakib Al Hasan. Buttler pounces first ball, rocking back to pull for four. Shakib fights back, luring Buttler into a top edge, but it lands safely near short third. The partnership is already 37 off 27 balls.
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4th over: England 34-1 (Malan 19, Buttler 9) Buttler has been playing second fiddle but now he makes some noise, whacking Taskin over mid-off. Malan, not content with one piece of good fortune from the TV umpire, gets another as a half-hearted pull goes for four through the vacant slips. One day, the world’s one-day captains will work out that slip is a run-saving position.
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3rd over: England 23-1 (Malan 15, Buttler 3) Shakib keeps Tanvir on after his instant success. The batters milk him for singles bar one big hit from Malan, who picks the right ball to slog-sweep and gets six for it. For a man who prefers the ball up around his waist, he’s done very well at adapting to the subcontinent.
A reprieve for Malan!
2nd over: England 13-1 (Malan 7, Buttler 1) At the other end it’s Taskin Ahmed with his outswing, or inswing to the left-hander. Malan is duly yorked! And given out. He reviews … could be umpire’s call, but it does look out … hang on, the TV umpire thinks it’s hit the bat. Nobody else is convinced, but Malan is off the hook. He celebrates with four leg-byes, and that’s a very good over with nothing to show for it.
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1st over: England 7-1 (Malan 6, Buttler 1) So not much of a breather for Buttler, but he should have the measure of the surface after keeping wicket for 20 overs. He flicks his first ball for a nice calm single, but the over belongs to Tanvir, who recovered well after starting with a full toss.
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WICKET! Salt st Das b Tanvir 0 (England 5-1)
A golden duck for Phil Salt! Litton Das’s big day continues, so do Salt’s troubles against slow left-arm, and Tanvir has a wicket in his first over in international cricket.
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Mid-1st over: England 5-0 (Malan 5, Salt 0) Bangladesh open with spin, from the debutant Tanvir Islam, the leading wicket-taker in the BPL. Dawid Malan gives him a warm welcome, clipping his first ball through mid-on for four…
@TimdeLisle I think you mean 'Liewcid'.
— Tom King (@tallgeekychap) March 14, 2023
Sorry
So England need 159 at eight an over. Jos Buttler decides to remain at No 4, which makes sense as he can break up all the left-handers in the middle order.
Half-time reading: not cricket, but a very lucid piece from Jonny Liew.
Bangladesh finish with a whimper
20th over: Bangladesh 158-2 (Shanto 47, Shakib 4) The last over is entrusted to Sam Curran, with his wily variations. “He’s good at reading the batter, Sam,” says Ollie Pope, his Surrey team-mate. The over goes 1, 1, dot, 1, dot … and another 1. So England are the clear winners of the final phase of the innings, conceding only 27 off the last five overs. Shanto goes off with another not-out, 47 from 36 balls, and a strong sense of a missed opportunity.
England hardly took any wickets, and fielded abysmally, but rallied well at the end. They should be able to win this if they have enough batters, which is a big if with this lopsided squad. Back in a few minutes.
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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
