Dharamsala: England opener Dawid Malan said on Tuesday that the presence of top-order mainstay Joe Root allows the others in the side to bat freely, after the two laid the foundation for a 137-run win over Bangladesh in their World Cup match here.
Malan played another vital knock for England, striking a match-winning 140 off 107 balls with 16 fours and five sixes. He added 151 for the second wicket with Root, who made a 68-ball 82 after a half-century in the first match against New Zealand.
“When you got Root at (No.) 3 who is so consistent, it allows us to play a bit freely,” Malan said after the match.
“I’m desperate to do well in this format, desperate to win games of cricket and prove a point and prove people wrong. So, when I get in, I don’t like to give it away,” he said while talking about his innings.
Malan has been England’s top batter this year with 745 runs in 11 matches at 74.50, which includes four centuries and three fifties. The left-handed batter hoped to continue with his form.
“I don’t know what it is down to. Hopefully, it will continue. Sometimes I play good shots and sometimes I play bad shots and that’s cricket, it’s always about trying to cash in against some type of bowling which is yours on the day,” he said.
England captain Jos Buttler looked satisfied with his team’s win, which took them to the top on the points table.
“(It was a) really good performance, (we) stuck to our guns. (It was) really important for us after a bad performance earlier,” Buttler said.
“(At) the back-end, I think we should have scored a few more, we could do well with some partnerships,” he said.
“It was fantastic to see Dawid Malan stand up and get a big hundred after what happened in the first game. We are always looking for the perfect performance, can’t remember the number of times it actually works out,” Buttler added.
Buttler reiterated that adapting to conditions and reading pitches well will be crucial in the league stage of the World Cup. “One of the challenges is going to be reading the conditions and pitch well,” he said.
“We have a fantastic, balanced squad, a good combination of swing and spin. Today was fantastic to see Reece Topley come in and perform that way,” he added.
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said his bowlers were not up to the mark.
“It was a good toss to win; there was some rain last night. There was some help for the faster bowlers but we didn’t start well,” he said.
“We did well in the last 10 overs but it will always be tough to chase 350. We planned well, but we couldn’t execute. The ball was swinging nicely, needed to put in the right areas and build momentum. Once they got the momentum it was tough to contain them,” Shakib said.
Shakib said a total in the range of 320 would have been ideal for chasing. “I think the position they were in, they could have scored 380-390, we restricted them well. But I think 320 would have been a good total to chase here,” he said.
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