Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up match | Clinical England overpowers Bangladesh in a rain-curtained match

England cruised to victory in the rain-curtailed warm-up fixture, with their bowlers and batsmen dominating the match to underline their intention of defending the title they won four years ago.

England warmed up to Thursday’s Men’s Cricket World Cup opener by crushing Bangladesh in a rain-curtailed warm-up fixture.

The margin of victory may give an impression that England was in a spot of bother but Jos Buttler’s side was always in control — on either side of a three-hour rain interruption — to underline its intention of defending the title it won at home four years ago.

Having seen a thunderstorm deprive it of any game-time on Saturday, Buttler hoped to give his bowlers some match simulation, with rain predicted in the evening.

While the bowlers — especially the left-arm trio of Reece Topley (3/24), David Willey (2/26) and Sam Curran (1/23) — made the most of the opportunity, Mark Wood ran in hard for a short three-over burst.

Riding on opener Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s second successive impressive knock, Bangladesh kept itself with a chance of putting up a fighting total. At 153 for five in 30 overs, rain forced the players to go in and the break lasted more than three hours.

When it resumed, the game was cut short to 37-overs-a-side and Bangladesh innings derailed, trudging along to 188 for nine.

Chasing a DLS-adjusted target of 197 runs, England came out all guns blazing. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, it continued to press the accelerator. Opener Jonny Bairstow (34, 21b) and captain Buttler (30, 15b) played the most impressive cameos, with Moeen Ali’s (56, 39b) powerful innings helping England finish off with 77 balls to spare.