T20 World Cup: Why ‘clinical’ England will face tougher tests than Bangladesh

After the preposterous kerfuffle of the previous day, following Quinton de Kock’s refusal to take the knee for South Africa, both England and Bangladesh made the gesture before their game in Abu Dhabi.

Ultimately, England know that it is actions on the field as opposed to any gestures that will be needed to become double white-ball world champions, and they took another step towards that target with an eight-wicket triumph in what - incredibly given cricket’s saturated schedule - was the first meeting between the teams in 20-over cricket.

As with their six-wicket success against West Indies in their opening game, this was a clinical performance by England and yawn-a-minute fare for the neutral, the result barely in doubt from the moment that Bangladesh limped to 27-3 at the end of the powerplay after choosing to bat, staggering to a closing score of 124-9 which England surpassed with 5.5 overs to spare.

So far, England have encountered more pressure in their two warm-up matches than they have in the tournament, with Australia hoping to provide their first real examination when the old rivals meet in Dubai on Saturday.

Ideally, England would have liked captain Eoin Morgan and Liam Livingstone, say, to have spent a little more time at the crease after England chased a target of just 56 against West Indies.

One would not really want the middle/lower-order to face their first real pressure test in a crunch fixture - should they even be needed at this rate - but that is just the dominant manner in which England have started.

Better that, clearly, than for the likes of No 11 Tymal Mills to be walking out to bat with a few runs still needed, and for the top-order and bowlers to be getting the job done as they are right now.

Mills it was, the Dewsbury-born fast bowler, who helped England to get this latest job done. On a scorching day in the desert - is there any other sort of day there? - the 29-year-old left-armer returned his side’s best figures of 3-27, also his own T20 international best on his seventh appearance.

Injuries have restricted Mills terribly in recent times but he is starting to come into his own; he followed a return of 2-17 against West Indies with a further demonstration of his considerable qualities - not least when bowling at the death, when he serves up slower ball yorkers one minute and skull-shaving bouncers the next, leading an effective back-of-a-length strategy by England in general.

After Moeen Ali once more did great things in the powerplay, taking two wickets in the first six overs for the second successive match, followed by an excellent spell of 2-15 from Livingstone, Mills was frugal as Bangladesh folded.

Mahedi Hasan scooped him to short fine-leg, then Nural Hasan gloved to the wicketkeeper and was given out on review before Mustafizur Rahman was bowled by a fine slower ball. Only Mushfiqur Rahim (29) produced any score of note, a review sending him on his way when he missed a reverse-sweep at Livingstone, who also had captain Mahmudullah held at short third-man.

Chris Woakes, to whom belonged the safe pair of hands, produced parsimonious figures of 4-0-12-1, including the wicket of the dangerous Shakib Al Hasan, brilliantly caught by a diving Adil Rashid when the left-hander miscued an attempted help-around-the-corner to short fine-leg.

Moeen had openers Liton Das and Mohammad Naim taken at deep backward-square and mid-on respectively, with only a late flurry from No 9 Nasum Ahmed - who clubbed two leg-side sixes off Rashid in a 19th over that disappeared for 17 - lifting Bangladesh to anything remotely respectable.

Indeed, the best that could be said about their batting in general was that it was better than West Indies’ batting against England the other day, which is to say very little. Some of Bangladesh’s running between the wickets, indeed, was so poor that had this been a school game, there would have been a strong case for reintroducing corporal punishment, highlighted when Afif Hossain perished after a dreadful mix-up with his captain.

Then it was over to England’s batsmen...

Jason Roy marked his 50th T20 international appearance with the top score of 61, made from 38 balls with five fours and three sixes, before picking out third man.

Jos Buttler earlier picked out long-off, but Dawid Malan stroked an unbeaten 28 from 25 balls with five boundaries and Jonny Bairstow sealed things with a pulled four off Islam.