England secured a 22-run victory on the final morning the first Test in Chittagong with Ben Stokes claiming the final two wickets and the man of the match award.
The final day of the Test started on a knife-edge, with Bangladesh needing just 33 to beat England with two wickets standing. If Bangladesh could knock off their total it would be the first time in their history that they would have beaten England in a Test Match. This added milestone ensured that the pressure was on for both sides.
[quote cite=”Alastair Cook”]In one way it’s sad that there has to be a loser because it was such a tight game. Credit to both sides.[/quote]
Bangladesh started the final day well, adding 10 runs before Taijul was given out lbw after a review. Then just two balls later Ben Stokes removed last man Shafiul, who was also given out lbw, though this time it was subject to a failed to overturn it on review. This game saw an incredible 26 reviews called for, 11 of which resulted in overturned decisions.
In the end Bangladesh were dismissed for 263, agonisingly close to a famous victory, and even though the final day’s play lasted only 3.3 overs it was a great ending for a match that genuinely could have gone either way.
Ben Stokes incredible man of the match performance saw him score a crucial second innings total of 85 and take 6 wickets in the game, a contribution which arguably delivered the win for England. However, in the Bangladesh camp Sabbir Rahman must get a mention for his outstanding second inning knock of 65 on his Test debut, which almost won the game for the host.
Our boys fought it out which is really impressive and hopefully we’ll do the same in the next match.
Mushfiqur Rahim
Before this Test Bangladesh had won only seven of their 93 Tests, but have taken the scalps of Zimbabwe and West Indies, and have had several near misses similar to today’s game. Bangladesh is undoubtedly a difficult place to play for tourists, but excuses aside England will look to address concerns in their top order ahead of the second Test Match in Sher-e-Bangla.
See England play at Edgbaston
England take on the West Indies in the first ever Day/Night Fixture in the UK. Tickets are priced from just £26 for Adults and £6 for Juniors. Demand on tickets has been huge already and we anticipate a packed Edgbaston crowd for this historic match.
