Joe Root and Eoin Morgan celebrate their win at the end of the match (Source: Reuters)
The ICC Champions Trophy got off to a blockbuster start with hosts England securing a comfortable eight-wicket win over Bangladesh. Chasing 306 to win the Three Lions romped with 16 balls to spare. Joe Root was the star of the show with a fabulous knock of 133 of 129 balls which featured 11 fours and a solitary six. He was ably supported by Alex Hales (95 off 86 balls) and skipper Eoin Morgan who hit a quickfire 75 of 61 balls.
Incidentally, this is the highest ever successful run chase in Champions Trophy after the 294 which was chased by Sri Lanka at the same venue four years ago.
Earlier the Bangladesh batsmen were put into bat scored 305 for the loss of six wickets. Tamim Iqbal slammed the first hundred of the tournament and ended up with 128 off 142 balls. He got off to a good start with Soumya Sarkar and then batted well with Imrul Kayes. Later on, wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim joined him at the crease as they both forged a brilliant partnership of 156 runs.
However, the bowling was a big letdown for the Bangla Tigers and left a lot to be desired. They failed to pick up wickets in the middle overs and were futile in their attempts to maintain a consistent line and length.
Joe Root took full advantage of the lacklustre bowling attack and took the bowlers to all parts of the ground. In his innings of 133, he pulled, drove and cut with panache. He also picked the gaps in the field to perfection. For England, his form will be a big boost ahead of the knockout stages of the tournament.
Courtesy of his innings he was awarded the man of the match. Speaking at the post-match presentation Root spoke about his innings and said,”It (the performance by England) is going to get better. A lot of confidence in the dressing room. We back each other’s abilities and it rubs on everyone. It’s nice to have Buttler and Stokes coming after you. It’s about making sure that we have plenty of wickets at the back end. One of the top four/five has to get a 70 or a 100 not out. Sure there will be different scenarios in the tournament but we have to give it our best. Good to start on this note. The ankle is alright, it’s more of a calf issue.”
