The first of the three ODIs between Bangladesh and England will
be played at Dhaka on Sunday. England, who are coming off a 1-1 T20I series result
against Pakistan in Dubai, will look to continue with what the other teams have
been dishing out to Bangladesh, defeats after defeats.
However, it will be interesting to see how the English side goes about their
business in this part of the world. For one, the conditions will not be something
that the side will enjoy too much. The heat and the humidity would be an obvious
issue and will make it difficult for the side. Add to that, the vociferous Bangladeshi
crowds, which will make it further tough for them as the cheer in that part
of the woods can only be matched by that in India.
Click Here to Watch Bangladesh vs England LiveAlso, the team that is coming over in Bangladesh is shorn of its stars, and
consists of some young guys. The latest to join the team was the hard-hitting
batsman-wicket-keeper, Craig Kieswetter, who was originally not a part
of the squad. But some good performances in tour games has paved way for him,
despite the presence of Matt Prior in the squad.
Apart from that, it is a strong 16-member contingent that has come to Bangladesh,
and with Kevin Pietersen seeming like he was getting back to form in
those two T20Is against Pakistan, life could be much easier for the English.
The side will be led by Alastair Cook in place of the regular captain, Andrew
Strauss, who had decided not to tour the country in order to give himself a
big break before the start of a very hectic season next up, and Paul Collingwood
will be the vice-captain of the team.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, haven't had a great couple of months. They lost
to Sri Lanka and India in the ODIs, and then were blanked 2-0 by India in the
Tests. Then, they went to New Zealand, but lost all their games there,
one T20I and Test each and three ODIs.
This means that the problems still exist within the set-up, but the good thing
to note was that losses were not as one-sided as they could have been. Secondly,
there were times, when one felt that the Bangladeshi batsmen were batting themselves
into a strong position, only to lose out after a collapse.
With a good lower-order and a spinning line-up to back them, they will fancy
their chances to win at least one of the games. And this first game at Dhaka
could be the one that they will look to nailing the surprise.
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