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09-Jul-2010 03:00:00 GMT
England v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Trent Bridge

Bell and Strauss Helps England Easy Victory

Nottingham: Ian Bell marked his return to England's one-day side with an unbeaten 84 as they defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the first of a three-match series at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Bell, recalled in the absence of injured No 3 Kevin Pietersen, faced 101 balls with six fours as England, chasing 251 to win, finished on 251 for four with 29 balls to spare in this day/night fixture.

Defeat left Bangladesh still searching for their first win against England, who have now beaten the Tigers in 20 matches all told, a sequence comprising eight Test victories and 12 one-day international successes.

This was Bell's first ODI since facing India in Bangalore in November 2008.

However, he'd restated his one-day case with a limited overs best 158 for the second string England Lions in their tied triangular series match against India A on Tuesday.

This was a much less spectacular innings but one England needed after they lost two wickets in quick succession to be 93 for two.

Earlier, Bangladesh's Raqibul Hasan marked his return to international duty with 76 in a total of 250 for nine after Tigers captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss.

Raqibul hadn't played for his country since an ODI against New Zealand in Napier in February after quitting in protest at being left out of Bangladesh's 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

England made a rapid start to their reply thanks to a first wicket-stand of 75 between captain Andrew Strauss, whose 37-ball fifty featured seven boundaries, and Craig Kieswetter.

Strauss has opted out of Twenty20 - in which Kieswetter won the man of the match award for his 63 in England's World Twenty20 final win over Australia in Barbados in May - because he believes his game is not suited to the format.

But there was no lack of aggression from the left-hander as he lofted Shafiul Islam over extra-cover.

However, in the 12th over and having just reached his fifty, Strauss was needlessly run out.

Kieswetter pushed spinner Abdur Razzak into the covers and Strauss called him through for a single. But Strauss, who didn't dive, failed by a fraction to beat Mahmudullah's direct hit from cover.

Then Kieswetter, who'd launched Razzak for six, fell for 32 when he top-edged a slog-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan, another of Bangladesh's spinners, and Faisal Hossain took a well-judged catch on the boundary.

Paul Collingwood and Bell stopped the rot with a partnership of 80, albeit in 100 balls.

Collingwood was out for 33 when a top-edged sweep off Shakib was caught by stand-in wicketkeeper Junaid Siddique, deputising after Mushifqur Rahim was hit in the face by a Faisal delivery.

But Bell, using his feet well against the spinners, saw England to victory with his 16th fifty in 80 ODIs.

Tamim Iqbal, who made hundreds in both of England's two recent Test wins over the Tigers, got Bangladesh off to a blistering start as he slammed fours off the first two balls of the innings from James Anderson.

But their run-rate was checked when Tamim, trying to guide a straight ball from first change Stuart Broad to third man, was lbw for 28 to leave Bangladesh 40 for one.

Siddique and Raqibul frustrated England and it needed the introduction of left-arm spinner Michael Yardy, the seventh bowler used, to break the third-wicket stand when he had Siddique lbw for 51.

Second ODI will played at Bristol on Saturday

Brief score
Bangladesh
250 for 9 (Raqibul 76, Siddique 51)
England 251 for 4 (Bell 84*, Strauss 50)
Result England won by six wickets
MOM Ian Bell (England)


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