Narrowest of defeats for England

Shaker Ahmed collects the match award after his four scalps helped Bangladesh Under-19s to the narrowest of victories

England Under-19s slipped to an agonising one-run defeat against their Bangladesh counterparts in the opening one-day international in Chittagong.

Chasing the hosts’ 212 for nine in 50 overs, last-wicket pair Danny Briggs and Matthew Dunn came up short at the Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

The defeat saw England narrowly miss out for the second time in five days after Bangladesh prevailed by two wickets in the one-off Test at the same venue.

Opener Joe Root’s 54 and Ben Stokes’ 45 - the pair added 69 for the fourth wicket - put the tourists on course for victory after man of the match Shaker Ahmed had reduced them to 62 for three en route to 4-43 from 10 overs.

However, Root’s dismissal, 7.1 overs after Stokes, prompted a minor collapse to leave the game in the balance.

Captain Azeem Rafiq and Briggs kept England in the contest, each scoring 24, but Rafiq’s fall proved pivotal as the final pair could not muster 18 from 17 deliveries.

Earlier Rafiq, who won the toss, led by example with the ball to restrict Bangladesh to a manageable total, despite their eighth-wicket pair smashing 56 in the last 5.3 overs.

The off-spinner was miserly with 3-18 from 10 overs while seamer Nathan Buck, who took the new ball, returned 3-38 from eight.

However, Abul Hasan’s 32 from 17 balls, including two sixes and a four, and Noor Hossain’s 34 from 27 ultimately proved decisive.

The seven-match series heads to Fatullah for four games, the next of which is on Monday.