Hossan Century, Ratul's 4-for Power Bangladesh U19 to Dominant Win Over England
A brilliant century from Rizan Hossan and a clinical spin bowling performance led Bangladesh Under-19s to a comprehensive 87-run victory over England Under-19s in the opening Youth One-Day International at Loughborough.
Despite an eye-catching five-wicket haul from Durham pacer James Minto and a fluent 75 from Isaac Mohammed, England were bowled out for 205 in response to Bangladesh’s 292, slumping from a strong position of 132 for 2 to lose eight wickets for just 73 runs.
Bangladesh’s spinners dominated the middle and lower order, with Samiun Basir Ratul producing a standout spell of 4 for 9 in just 4.2 overs to crush England’s hopes of a comeback.
Hossan Anchors Bangladesh Innings
Opting to bat first, Bangladesh made a bright start through openers Zawad Abrar and Rifat Beg, who added 44 in under seven overs. Abrar’s aggressive intent, highlighted by back-to-back sixes off Minto, put early pressure on England. However, wickets fell in quick succession as Beg, captain Azizul Hakim Tamim, and Abrar all departed within a span of 25 runs.
That brought Hossan and Kalam Aleen together, and the pair rebuilt superbly, putting on a 148-run stand for the fourth wicket. Hossan brought up his fifty in 58 balls and eventually reached his century in the 48th over, his 101-ball innings laced with authoritative strokeplay.
Minto returned to disrupt Bangladesh’s momentum late in the innings, removing Aleen (51) and Abdullah in successive deliveries before finishing with figures of 5 for 68. Despite the late flurry of wickets, Bangladesh managed a strong total of 292.
England Collapse After Bright Start
England’s chase began poorly, losing Ben Dawkins in the first over and Joe Moores shortly after. However, Mohammed and Yorkshire’s Will Bennison revived the innings with an attacking 102-run partnership during the powerplay.
Mohammed’s half-century came off just 34 balls and included an array of aggressive strokes, including a ramped six. But after Bennison was bowled by Shadin Islam for 36, England’s innings began to unravel. Mohammed soon followed, caught for 75, and from 132 for 2, England fell apart under pressure from Bangladesh’s spinners.
Skipper Thomas Rew and debutant Jack Nelson attempted to stabilise the innings, but Ratul’s incisive left-arm spin turned the game. He removed both Rew and Nelson, triggering a collapse. England eventually folded for 205, with Ratul sealing the win by taking the final wicket.
Mohammed: “A Lot of the Training Paid Off”
Post-match, Isaac Mohammed reflected positively on his innings despite the loss:
"I really enjoyed it to be fair, I just felt good, I've been doing a lot of training recently and I feel like a lot of that paid off today. At the end of the day, the result didn't go our way but when Sunday comes, hopefully, we can put it right."
He also noted the impact of Bangladesh’s spinners:
"At the start, it was quite a fresh ball so it wasn't doing as much. When the spinners did come back on, I'd just got out before that. But looking at some of the videos, it looked like it was starting to grip, so if we are playing on the same wicket on Sunday, that could be something to look into."
Mohammed, who is set to feature for Worcestershire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final later this month, added:
"I'm loving it, and hopefully in the final against Hampshire, we can bring home the trophy."
Match Summary
Bangladesh U19 – 292 all out (Hossan 100, Aleen 51, Minto 5-68)
England U19 – 205 all out (Mohammed 75, Bennison 36, Ratul 4-9)
Result: Bangladesh U19 won by 87 runs
Player of the Match: Rizan Hossan (100 off 101 balls)