Collingwood holds line for England

Bangladesh 228 England 229-4

(AP)

By now Paul Collingwood is England's favourite old jumper: comfortable, frayed round the edges but seemingly never to wear out. And when he does there will be tears before bedtime.

There he was again yesterday, just when things might have turned decidedly awkward in the first one-day international against Bangladesh. He looked comfortable and relentlessly reliable in guiding England serenely to a six-wicket win in the Shere Bangla Stadium.

It was his 30th innings above 50 in his 174 one-day internationals and like many of those that preceded it, came when it was needed most. The wheels had not exactly fallen off but a wing nut or two were in danger of loosening had Collingwood not been so assured in marshalling the proceedings.

Having started with withering authority in their pursuit of 229 to win, England lost three wickets for 23 runs in six overs. Collingwood knew all about this kind of thing. He made certain the board kept ticking over while they regrouped, plundering his old hunting grounds between midwicket and long-on, but was also aware of the singles to be taken.

Some day England will lose a one-day international to Bangladesh as every other country has already done but Collingwood made it his business to ensure that it was not yesterday. He is the sole survivor of England's tour to Bangladesh seven years ago when they won the three limited-overs matches by seven wickets, with one Paul Collingwood batting at four and being unbeaten in two of the chases.

Collingwood's innings yesterday, unsurprising and familiar as it might have been, was grossly unfair on the 20-year-old Bangladeshi opening batsman, Tamim Iqbal. His firecracker hundred was worthy of winning any match and would have made a fitting adornment to his country's first victory against England.

It was Tamim's third hundred in his 74 one-dayers (they start them young in this country and their oldest player yesterday, Abdur Razzak, was a mere 27) but since the previous two had come against Ireland and Zimbabwe it may be the one he treasures most as an individual achievement.

England could have spared themselves some trouble had Eoin Morgan taken a sharp chance in the covers, when Tamim was only 10. He has already done enough around the world for his reputation to have preceded him. Tamim is a fearless hitter both straight and square of the wicket on the leg side and has a licence to explode at the start of the innings.

His 125 with three sixes all hit over long on, came from only 119 balls and if his later hitting was not as clean as his early smiting then he was undone by his colleagues. Four of them faced between 27 and 34 balls – the groundwork in other words – then perished.

Two run outs, both executed by Kevin Pietersen, merely exacerbated their feeling that Bangladesh take a step forward only take it back again. They had exactly the start they desired, having been put in on a surface where the last 15 matches had all been won by the side batting second, and mucked it up. For England, Graeme Swann was again a model of probity as well as being their best bowler. He took 3-32 and conceded nary a boundary. Perhaps the tourists will have to consider fielding two spinners.

The target was well within England's scope, no doubt to their fledgling captain's relief. Had he been going to the wicket having to chase down 50 or so more runs, as had seemed likely at one stage, he might have been thinking where it had gone wrong.

As it was, he was able to play with freedom, knowing that they batted long and that the target was always likely to be in sight. His striking over midwicket – slog-sweeping to supply its Sunday name – was venomous. His partner, Craig Kieswetter, was playing his first international match, but was left without the strike for the first three overs of the innings.

This must have played on his mind and Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's captain, then played a shrewd ploy by introducing left-arm spin in the form of himself. Kieswetter, as Alastair Cook said later, cannot have expected to wait three overs as opener on debut to face his first ball and then see it being purveyed by a spinner.

He duly edged his fourth ball and was dropped, was reprieved despite looking stone dead leg before to the sixth. Though Kieswetter unfurled a couple of classy drives he never truly settled. Welcome to big-time cricket: it is another country and they do things differently there.

For Pietersen the batsman there was yet more misfortune as he was given out caught to a ball he might not have hit. Cook too went soon after, unluckily leg before, but Collingwood, together with Morgan and then Matt Prior, gradually quietened an excited crowd by doing what he does best.

Bangladesh v England Mirpur scoreboard

England won toss

England beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets

BANGLADESH

......... Runs......... 6s......... 4s......... Bls

T Iqbal b Broad......... 125......... 3......... 13......... 120

I Kayes c Wright b Bresnan......... 15......... 0......... 2......... 27

J Siddique c Kieswetter b Broad......... 0......... 0......... 0......... 2

A Ahmed run out (Pietersen)......... 2......... 0......... 0......... 5

*S Al Hasan c Prior b Swann......... 12......... 0......... 0......... 28

†M Rahim run out (Pietersen)......... 22......... 0......... 1......... 34

M Mahmudullah c Collingwood b Swann......... 0......... 0......... 0......... 1

N Islam c Morgan b Wright......... 25......... 0......... 2......... 31

M Mortaza lbw b Swann......... 4......... 0......... 1......... 6

A Razzak c Cook b Sidebottom......... 2......... 0......... 0......... 10

S Islam not out......... 11......... 0......... 2......... 11

Extras (lb 4, w 5, nb 1)......... 10

Total (45.4 overs)......... 228

Fall: 1-63, 2-71, 3-82, 4-112, 5-146, 6-146, 7-209, 8-214, 9-214, 10-228.

Bowling: L Wright 1-0-4-1, G Swann 10-0-32-3, S Broad 9-2-46-2, R Sidebottom 7.4-0-46-1, T Bresnan 9-0-48-1, K Pietersen 2-0-9-0, P Collingwood 7-1-39-0.

ENGLAND

......... Runs......... 6s......... 4s......... Bls

*A Cook lbw b Islam......... 64......... 0......... 6......... 68

C Kieswetter st Rahim b Islam......... 19......... 0......... 3......... 26

K Pietersen c Siddique b Al Hasan......... 1......... 0......... 0......... 5

P Collingwood not out......... 75......... 0......... 7......... 100

E Morgan c Ahmed b Islam......... 33......... 0......... 4......... 40

†M Prior not out......... 30......... 0......... 3......... 37

Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 2)......... 7

Total (4 wkts, 46 overs)......... 229

Fall: 1-73, 2-74, 3-96, 4-184.

Did Not Bat: L J Wright, T T Bresnan, S C J Broad, G P Swann, R J Sidebottom.

Bowling: N Islam 10-0-49-3, S Al Hasan 10-1-42-1, S Islam 2-0-11-0, M Mortaza 6-0-37-0, A Razzak 10-1-41-0, M Mahmudullah 8-0-44-0.

Umpires: Nadir Shah & R J Tucker.

TV replay umpire : Sharfuddoula. Match referee: J J Crowe.