Jason Roy made the highest individual score of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 so far as his dynamic century (153) , along with half centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler and a late cameo from Liam Plunkett, powered England to a huge 386-run total against Bangladesh at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Saturday.
Sent in to bat by Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza on a green-tinged pitch, Roy and Bairstow (51) put on 128 for the first wicket.
The in-form Roy, however, pressed on, reaching the landmark in 92 balls, including 12 fours and a six.
Roy completed his century in bizarre fashion when, running to the non-striker’s end as he completed what should have been a single to take him to 97, Mohammad Mithun at deep square leg misfielded and the ball went for four. (Cricket World Cup 2019, ENG vs BAN: FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES)
The Surrey batsman collided with umpire Joel Wilson and knocked him to the ground but neither he nor the Trinidad official were unhurt.
Roy carried on to surpass this tournament’s previous highest score, Rohit Sharma’s 122 not against South Africa at Southampton on Wednesday.
He was finally caught by Mashrafe off the bowling of Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 153, holing out after hitting three sixes in a row off the bowler.
While Eoin Morgan could not score a fifty, Jos Buttler did. The wicketkeeper-batsman, along with the England skipper, put up a 95-run partnership before Buttler fell for 64.
Morgan and Ben Stokes perished soon after Buttler fell. But then Plunkett, who had replaced Moeen Ali in the playing XI, and Chris Woakes scored 45 runs off last 17 balls and powered England past 380-run mark.
Earlier, Both Roy and Bairstow have come unstuck against spin in this tournament so it was no surprise when Bangladesh opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan.
But on a green-tinged, if slow, pitch, England played him comfortably enough.
Bairstow fell soon after completing a 48-ball fifty, a leading edge off Mashrafe well caught by Mehidy in the covers to give the Bangladesh skipper his first wicket of this World Cup.
Joe Root scored 21 before he played on off the bowling of Mohammad Saifuddin.
The pitch conditions, allied to the short straight boundaries at Sophia Gardens, prompted tournament hosts England to drop off-spinner Moeen Ali and recall paceman Liam Plunkett.
But leg-spinner Adil Rashid, whose five wicketless overs against Pakistan cost an expensive 43 runs, retained his place.
Brief scores: England 386/6 (Jason Roy 153, Jos Buttler 64; Mohammad Saifuddin 2.78) vs Bangladesh
(With inputs from AFP)
