"Archer was stunning with the new ball, having batsmen hopping around. They were also back to their best in the field"
Sunday 9 June 2019 13:09, UK
Mark Butcher says England were magnificent as they rebounded from defeat to Pakistan to thrash Bangladesh in Saturday's World Cup match in Cardiff.
Jason Roy struck 153 - the second-highest score by an Englishman at a World Cup - as Eoin Morgan's men hit 386-6 en route to a 106-run victory.
Seamer Jofra Archer impressed again with his pace and skill as Bangladesh were bowled out for 280, bowling Soumya Sarkar with a superb delivery and ending with figures of 3-29 from 8.5 overs.
England have now won two of their three matches in the competition, having also beaten South Africa by 104 runs in the tournament opener.
"England were magnificent," said Sky Sports Cricket expert Butcher.
"The opening partnership of (Jonny) Bairstow and Roy. Then Archer was stunning with the new ball, having batsmen hopping around. They were also back to their best in the field.
"What we have seen from England in the tournament so far is two performances you would expect - reading conditions well, excellent batting, incisive bowling, and brilliant fielding - and that one performance that has dogged them through bilateral series in recent times.
"They copped a bit of flak, people said the pressure got to them against Pakistan, but I don't think that was the case at all - they got within 14 runs of a record chase and didn't play very well."
Roy and Bairstow, who scored 51, put on 128 for England's opening wicket in Cardiff, starting sedately before accelerating later on as they took their batting average as a pair in one-day internationals to 62.62.
"We had 15 off five overs, I wouldn't exactly say we were 'going off' at the start," said Bairstow, who also had to keep wicket in Bangladesh's innings with Jos Buttler having tweaked his hip while batting.
"It was one of the slowest starts we've had but to then catch up and play in the way we did, it wasn't a case of running down the wicket trying to slog it, they were just good cricket shots.
"That is just what we have done over a period of time. There's nothing that's really changed from that mentality, whether we're facing spin or seam.
"I think we've played better but there's always going to be things you try to improve on."
On keeping to Archer, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes, Bairstow added: "It was good to be standing a long way back!"
"It's great to have that theatre in the game. You've got three guys who touched 90 mph in our bowling attack and then Woakes touched 87. It's a good place to be when all the lads are firing."
Watch England's next World Cup game, against West Indies, live on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup (channel 404) from 10am on Friday.
