Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza starred with bat and ball as Bangladesh outplayed England by 34 runs in the second one-day international to level the three-match series 1-1 in Dhaka on Sunday.
Mortaza hit 44 off 29 balls after Mahmudullah top-scored with 75 off 88 balls, leading Bangladesh to 238 for 8 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Mortaza then brought his bowling skill into play, picking up 4 for 29, including three wickets in his opening spell that left England tottering at 26 for 3.
England couldn’t recover from the position before they were all out for 204 runs in 44.4 overs, despite the best efforts by captain Jos Buttler, who scored a high of 57 runs for the visiting side.
Taskin Ahmed dismissed Buttler leg-before thanks to a television review after his initial appeal was turned down by the on-field umpire.
Taskin had earlier removed Jonny Bairstow for 35 to end his 79-run fifth-wicket partnership with Buttler as the duo attempted to revive England’s innings after the initial damage.
Buttler hit Taskin for three of his seven fours in one over before the bowler came back strongly to finish with 3 for 47.
“I think we were a bit tentative about it (the run chase) as a side,” said a disappointed Buttler after the match.
“We wanted to come out on the front foot and take it on. We thought that was chaseable. We bowled well up front but it was a good wicket and 240 was attainable.”
Bangladesh’s victory was not ensured until Mortaza came to his third spell and removed Jake Ball (28), who shared 45 runs for the 10th wicket with Adil Rashid (33 not out) to raise the prospect of a dramatic England win.
“It wasn’t much of a total but we could defend,” said Mortaza, who also won the man of the match award.
“If you look at the other match, to come back was really professional,” he said, referring to the first match when Bangladesh came close to chasing down England’s 308 for 9 before losing their way.
Earlier Mahmudullah led Bangladesh’s stop-start batting when he came to bat at No 4 after Chris Woakes struck twice in his opening spell.
Bangladesh were in trouble once Woakes, who finished with 2 for 40, removed openers Imrul Kayes (11) and Tamim Iqbal (14) in his successive overs to leave the hosts at 26 for 2.
Ball, man of the match on Friday with five wickets on debut, kept up the pressure when he bowled Sabbir Rahman for three.
Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim put on 50 for the fourth wicket to steady the innings before Ball struck again.
Rahim, who made 21, top-edged the paceman to fine leg where Moeen Ali took a superb catch.
Bangladesh’s woes were compounded when star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan departed for three after gloving a delivery from Ben Stokes down the leg side to wicketkeeper Buttler.
Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain lifted their side from a precarious 113 for 5 with a 48-run sixth-wicket stand before leg-spinner Rashid struck.
Rashid trapped Mahmudullah leg-before to end a fine innings, which came off 88 balls with six fours.
Rashid then had Mosaddek (29) caught by Ali in his next over to derail Bangladesh’s innings again.
Mortaza came to the rescue with his quick-fire 44 which included two fours and three sixes.
Nasir Hossain, brought in to replace left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain in Bangladesh’s only change from the opening match, gave Mortaza good support with 27 not out.
Ball claimed 2 for 44 while Rashid finished with 2 for 53.
The third and final ODI will be played in Chittagong on Wednesday.
*Agence France-Presse
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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