England posted their highest World Cup total of 386 for six on the way to a comfortable win against Bangladesh in Cardiff to ease the pain of defeat against Pakistan.
It was the host nation’s seventh successive score of 300-plus in one-day internationals – the longest such streak by any team in the format.
England’s 100 club
England’s batsmen came into the World Cup with a fearsome reputation and they are showing they mean business.
Opener Jason Roy became England’s third century-maker of the tournament after Joe Root and Jos Buttler when he reached three figures against Bangladesh.
Pre-World Cup predictions suggested a run-fest in England and Wales but so far fans have witnessed a balanced contest between bat and ball.
The only other century-makers in the World Cup by the time the England-Bangladesh match finished were Shakib Al Hasan, who made a century in Bangladesh’s reply, and India’s Rohit Sharma.
Roy smashed five sixes and 14 fours in his innings of 153 off just 121 balls, falling just short of Andrew Strauss’s record England World Cup score of 158, made against India in 2011.
Buttler and Jonny Bairstow also chipped in with fifties and Liam Plunkett smashed 27 in nine balls in a cameo knock to underline England’s strength in depth.
Shakib factor
Are Bangladesh too reliant on Shakib Al Hasan?
The 32-year-old talisman is the undoubted star of the team and tops the one-day international all-rounder rankings.
He opened the bowling against England with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling, but went wicketless and proved expensive, going for 71 runs.
It was a different story when he batted, scoring 121 to anchor the innings, but he did not get the support he needed from his teammates.
Bangladesh came into the match on the back of victories against England in both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups but they were quickly in trouble in Cardiff.
Their chances were hindered by a patchy performance in the field, with some shoddy fielding letting them down.
Bangladesh are no pushovers but do they have the weapons with bat or ball to trouble the best sides, particularly in conditions that do not favour their slower bowlers?
Archer pace
England’s cricket chiefs must be patting themselves on the back after ushering quick bowler Jofra Archer into the fold in time for the World Cup.
The express paceman gives England’s attack a different dimension and he again looked dangerous in Cardiff.
Archer bowled opener Soumya Sarkar with a beautiful delivery that clipped the top of off stump and finished his first spell having conceded just 14 runs of his five overs.
Archer returned to the attack to finish with figures of 3-29 in 8.5 overs.
The other top teams at the World Cup – India and Australia – also boast potent new-ball attacks and the West Indies pacemen have brought back memories of their glory days.
In a tournament in which the ability to take wickets could prove decisive, England have a vital weapon.
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