CWC 2019: ENG vs BAN Preview – Test of progress for England as they face the Tigers
The last time when England faced off against Bangladesh in a World Cup encounter, things were looking bleak for English cricket, especially when it came to their philosophy in ODI cricket. The match in Adelaide at the 2015 World Cup in Australia, ended in an embarrassing defeat for the English, knocking them out of the World Cup. But the loss also turned out to be a cathartic experience for the management and all of a sudden, Nirvana was attained.
The loss led to complete overhaul in the structure of the English ODI setup and the first step towards that was admitting that they were too outdated and behind-the-times in their thought process. Four years later, being the No.1 ranked team in the world and the undisputed favourites to lift the trophy, life comes full circle for English cricket in the encounter against Bangladesh.
Match Info
England vs Bangladesh, 12th Match
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (3:00 pm IST)
Head-to-Head
Played – 20
England wins – 16
Bangladesh wins – 4
In the World Cup, Bangladesh hold an overall edge, winning 2 matches compared to England’s 1, including famous victories during the 2011 and 2015 editions.
Team Tactics
England
Score, score and score more runs. With the strength and depth which they have in their batting department, England always back themselves to bat the opposition out of the match. Be it setting up a big score or chasing a total down, the English batting department over the past couple of years has been more or less impeccable. Though they could not complete the task against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, England will be confident that it was just a one-off and will look to get back on track against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh have been the surprise of the tournament so far, beating South Africa in their opener and then running New Zealand close in a tight defeat. They will have to up their game to a much higher gear if they want to be competitive against the tournament favourites. They will aim for more discipline in the field, as well as more flair with the bat in order to have a chance in the match against England.
Key players
Jofra Archer (England): After an under-par performance against Pakistan, where he took some punishment from the batters, Jofra Archer will be rearing to go in the match against Bangladesh. The pitch in Cardiff has a fair amount of grass covering and assists the seamers and Archer with his pace and bounce could terrify the Bangladeshi batters.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): Shakib Al Hasan has used all his experience to be Bangladesh’s star performer during the tournament. He performed exceptionally well with both the bat and the ball in both the matches against South Africa and New Zealand. Tasked with batting at the crucial No.3 position and keeping things in check during the middle overs with the ball, the all-rounder will have to come up with one of the best performances of his career in order to give his side a chance.
Probable XI
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim(wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mossadek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Mustafizur Rahman.
