Mahmudullah and Mashrafe give Bangladesh hope

Bangladesh 238 for 8 (Mahmudullah 75, Mashrafe 44) v EnglandLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The certainty of Mahmudullah and a boisterous finale by the captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, gave Bangladesh an outside chance as they set England 239 for victory – and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series – in the second ODI in Mirpur.

The pitch was a little slower and grippier than Friday’s surface, on which England made 309 and won by 21 runs. But as well Bangladesh fought back in the closing overs, there was little in the history of ODI cricket on this Mirpur ground to give them encouragement. England would still have felt confident at halfway that they were slightly ahead of the game.

Mashrafe faced a fading Bangladesh innings when he came to the crease at 169 for 7 with 8.2 overs remaining, the loss of Mahmudullah for 75 from 88 balls severely compromising their chances of putting England under pressure. His rumbustious 44 from 29 balls brought Bangladesh another 69 in a stand with Nasir Hossain until he was run out one ball from the end and cheered the outlook for a crowd that had watched events unfold with trepidation.

Mahmudullah had brought their only solace until then. He had made 75 from 88 balls when he tried to paddle Adil Rashid and was lbw. His walk-off was arrested as he responded to calls to review the decision, but his initial suspicions proved well founded. Rashid’s ability to dismiss top-order batsmen is a source of debate, but he took the vital wicket here.

England had chosen to bat in the first ODI, but their captain, Jos Buttler, had indicated …

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