Despite a maiden half-century from Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh fell to a three-wicket loss in the first ODI of their three-match series against England Wednesday (March 01, 2023) due to a lacklustre performance in the middle overs.
The left-handed batter's impressive knock went in vain as the rest of the team failed to support him in building a solid total. Bangladesh's innings ended with a below-par 209, leaving them with a tough task to defend against a strong England side.
Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das put on a brief opening stand, but things soon took a turn for the worse as Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim also failed to deliver.
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"I think losing three quick wickets in the middle overs was the main reason behind our defeat," Shanto said in the post-match press conference. "We have a good bowling attack that can defend this sort of total, but we failed today."
Shanto also said the team fell short of 20-30 runs in their innings.
The second match of the series will also take place in Dhaka's Mirpur on March 3 at the same venue; the third and final match will be played on March 6 in Chattogram.
Read More: Analysis of BAN vs ENG 1st ODI 2023
After the ODI series, both the teams will lock horns in a three-match T20I series.