Stokes century propels England to 309 for 8

50 overs England 309 for 8 (Stokes 101, Buttler 63, Duckett 60) v BangladeshLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ben Stokes produced his maiden ODI century, a hugely mature performance in sapping conditions, as he and the debutant Ben Duckett overcame a dicey start to the first ODI against Bangladesh at Dhaka to set the stage for another flying finish from England’s stand-in captain, Jos Buttler.

Faced with opponents who have not lost a series on home soil for two years, and in front of a typically fervent crowd who made light of a one-kilometre exclusion zone to pack the stands at Mirpur, England showed tenacity and talent in equal measure to withstand and ultimately thrive against the hustle and bustle of Bangladesh’s spin-dominant attack. By the time Chris Woakes was run out for 16 off the final ball of the innings, England had racked up an imposing total of 309 for 8 in their fifty overs.

Stokes’ contribution to that effort was 101 from exactly 100 balls – a performance that might pale statistically compared to some of the masterful feats of run-making in England’s ranks in recent months, but which was compiled in some of the most sappingly humid conditions imaginable. The onus throughout was to put pace back onto the ball, a draining requirement on a sticky track, and with eight fours and four sixes, he fulfilled his brief almost to a standstill – after bringing up his hundred with a flick through midwicket off Shafiul Islam, he survived just one more delivery before hoisting a tired pull to deep midwicket to depart with cheeks puffed and shirt sodden.

He had done his job, however, and so too had Duckett, whose 60 from 78 balls made him the first England batsman …

continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com