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England become the first Test playing nation to tour Bangladesh this year when they play the Tigers in three One Day International’s and two Test matches. Join The Roar for live scores of the first ODI from 7:30pm (AEDT).
For the hosts, they have been relatively devoid of top-line cricket, as has been the case for some time now.
They did however, recently host associate nation Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series and put the pedal to the metal, smashing them 2-1 and winning the decider by a massive 141 runs.
In that series, Tamim Iqbal was strong in leading the side with the bat, scoring 118 in the decider and he will need to do so again – thwarting England’s new ball threat and attempting to build a platform for a middle order than can sometimes be very inconsistent.
Experienced wicket keeper Muchfiqur Rahim needs to lead through the middle of the innings, aiming to accelerate the scoring rate, along with all round Mahmudullah.
The Bangladesh bowling attack could be where they fall down a little throughout this series, and so the importance of captain Mashrafe Mortaza not only bowling fantastically, but rotating his bowlers correctly and setting good tactics will be paramount.
England’s most recent series came against Pakistan, who they hosted in a long tour that wasn’t always successful. The one day component however, saw them claim a 4-1 win and set a new world record for most runs scored in an innings.
Unfortunately, Alex Hales and Joe Root have both pulled out of this tour due to security concerns so they will be missing a chunk of their batting order.
In Root’s absence, Jos Buttler steps up to captain the side, and will be their main attacking weapon with the bat.
England recently defeated a Bangladesh XI in a tour match with all their batsmen making starts chasing over 300 before Buttler was joined by all rounder Moeen Ali down the order as the pair scored 80 and 70 respectively to guide England home.
Prediction
Bangladesh will have the crowd behind them and fight hard, but it’s difficult to see them getting over the line against an English side with plenty to prove, and the fear of losing to the Tigers – something no Test team wants to do.
England, but not without a fight.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of the first ODI between Bangladesh and England from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
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