The Ben and Imrul show

After all the uncertainty regarding this tour, the cricket faithful in Mirpur were rewarded with a high-standard show during the first ODI yesterday. Yes, Bangladesh's fielding was the only aberration in the standard, but there were two high-class innings yesterday that made the match what it was. First, Ben Stokes hit an explosive and creative maiden century to power his side to 309 for eight, but that set the stage for Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes to unveil his new avatar -- that of a swashbuckling opener nigh unrecognisable from the accumulator of less than a fortnight ago.

While Bangladesh's fielding did conspire to give Stokes two chances before he reached the landmark, Imrul's unbeaten innings of 108 off 115 (still continuing at the time of writing) was flawless and gave Bangladesh a real chance at a famous win. At the time this report was filed, Bangladesh needed 39 to win in 51 balls with Shakib Al Hasan just departing after a 118-run fifth-wicket stand with Imrul. 

The left-handed opener had hit 121 off 91 balls for BCB XI in the warm-up match against England on Tuesday. He had played all of England's bowlers in that match. After the warm-up he said that his newfound ability to blitz the bowlers was founded in his readiness to play the cut and the pull off every delivery. He said that outlook quickened his reflexes at the crease.

That approach and its benefits were evident as early as the third ball of the chase. Imrul connected with a Chris Woakes length ball on off stump and deposited it over square leg into the second tier railing. That was the biggest hit of the day, which is saying something in a match that saw a Ben Stokes century.

That set the tone, and although he sensibly reverted to Imrul the accumulator in spells during his masterful display yesterday, there was always an explosive shot around the corner. At every opportunity he was ready to pounce. In the eighth over, he pulled David Willey from outside the off stump over the midwicket fence.

Tamim Iqbal fell to a hoick, Sabbir Rahman to a brilliant catch on the fence, but Imrul continued in his sudden bursts of aggression. Even when Mushfiqur Rahim fell to another failed slog sweep to leave the score on 153 for four in the 27th over, it was Imrul's continued presence that gave Shakib the confidence to build his innings and eventually play his part in what looked like a match-winning partnership.

The diminutive Imrul has not been the luckiest of Bangladesh cricketers, often finding himself out of the team without having done much wrong in the few chances he got. So it was fitting that he reached his hundred through a slice of luck; in the 37th over, Imrul hit a ball back to David Willey who hurled it back at the batsman in an attempt to catch him out of the crease, but the ball deflected off the stumps and reached the fine-leg boundary to give him his second ODI hundred. It took him 105 balls and came off his 11th boundary, however fortuitous.

Earlier, a shoddy fielding display from Bangladesh and Stokes's fantastic though fortuitous maiden century took the tourists to a formidable score.

Stokes hit 101 off 100 balls with eight fours and four sixes. He was dropped by Mahmudllah Riyad when on 69 and four balls later by Mosharraf Hossain when on 71. Jos Buttler provided the finishing touches with a fantastic 38-ball 63 studded with three fours and four sixes as England scored 89 for four in the last 10 overs, including 60 for two in the last five.