England take on Bangladesh in the opening game of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at the iconic Kennington Oval in London. The Eoin Morgan-led England side possess the most powerful batting unit in the tournament and enter this contest as favourites. Complacency will be the last thought in their mind. England are wary of the history…
Adelaide, 2015: The last time England squared up against Bangladesh in an ICC event. Bangladesh won by 15 runs. The scars of Chittagong for Englishmen did not end with Master Da Surya Sen.
Chittagong, 2011: The second-last-time England squared up against Bangladesh in an ICC event. Bangladesh won by 2 wickets.
In this decade, Bangladesh have perennially haunted England in big games and the last time the sides met, the former had managed to pull off a Test victory. The ODI series played prior saw moments where players from both sides came close to exchange blows. There is much more to this contest. Both sides have improved tremendously since 2015 World Cup. England’s win-loss ratio is the best amongst all major sides, reading an impressive 1.93. Bangladesh’s win-loss ratio reads 1.6, the best out of all subcontinent sides (India – 1.25, Pakistan 0.8 and Sri Lanka 0.65). FULL CRICKET SCORECARD, ICC Champions Trophy 2017, England vs Bangladesh – Match 1
Explosive England
Since 2015 World Cup debacle, England’s revamped strategy in ODIs have benefitted the team. They enter the tournament post a series win against the No.1 ODI side South Africa.
The batting order starts with the explosive Alex Hales and Jason Roy followed by the two pillars, Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan. While sides tend to slow down in middle-overs, England have done the opposite. They in fact have firepower, often till No. 11. Post 2015 World Cup, their middle-order (No.4 to No.7) have scored at over 39 at a strike rate of 105.6! If Jos Buttler is the Macavity, he has apt Mungojerrie and Griddlebone in Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali respectively.
England have plundered over 300 runs in 21 games since the World Cup. Their scoring rate stands highest at 6.26 and they have not experimented with their side as often as others. However, the concerning bit is that they have also lost 6 games out of those 21, which does not paint their bowling in good picture.
Mark Wood’s phenomenal final over in the second ODI against South Africa last week gives them some solace, so does the presence of the likes of David Willey and Chris Woakes but overall, England have given away runs at 5.78 since the World Cup.
Further, Stokes’ injury could mean he won’t bowl a lot of overs in the tournament opener. In the two ODIs he played against South Africa, Stokes bowled a grand total of 5 overs. Though Morgan is confident that the all-rounder could bowl, he told media ahead of the game against Bangladesh, , “It’s a very strange injury in that it’s only in his delivery stride that he feels the pain. So if given he couldn’t bowl, I still think he’d make great contributions with the bat and in the field.” ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Statistical preview for England-Bangladesh clash
Bangladesh’s bowling vs England’s batting
Bangladesh enter the tournament bemused with their preparation. They beat New Zealand in Ireland earlier this month. They posted a mammoth 341 in the warm-up match against Pakistan, only to lose the game. And against India, two days prior to the tournament opener, they conceded 324 and were bowled out for 84, losing by 240 runs.
“You know, 84 obviously doesn’t look good. I hope that the batters will understand their role and not to think about much about Tuesday,” Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza replied when asked about the India debacle at the same venue.
The conditions in England could be tricky. With the sun out, the tracks are usually batting paradise but with cloud cover swing takes precedence and that is where Bangladesh’s opportunity lies.
Bangladesh have the likes of Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain in their bowling ranks. On the other hand, in the same city of London, England were reduced to 20 for 6 in 5 overs — their worst in ODIs — when South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell wreaked havoc at Lord’s in the final ODI. Bangladesh may have watched that. The Oval surface is flatter but with overcast skies, Bangladesh bowlers have their chance.
Mortaza, however, is a realist. Ahead of the game, he told reporters that Bangladesh aren’t basking in the Adelaide glory: “Look, it was a long time back. And after then, England is a totally different team. The way they are playing, if you look at the last two years, their performance, they win almost everything. And especially at home, they are a serious side. But we know that we are also a better side; that we are a very improving side.”
That is not all. Bangladesh in their home conditions successfully exploited England’s Achilles Heel with spin. They have decent spinners led by the experienced Shakib Al Hasan. If there are last moment cracks, Bangladesh have opportunity to make it count. CT 2017, ENG vs BAN: Key clashes for tournament opener
Likely XIs
Despite Jonny Bairstow’s heroics at Lord’s earlier this week, Jason Roy is set to play in the XI. The explosive opener has had single-digit scores in four of his last 5 ODIs. His scores in last 10 cricket innings read — 4, 8, 1, 1, 44, 20, 0, 14*, 31 and 14. Morgan made a bold statement ahead of the tournament, announcing his support for the 26-year-old.
“The decision remains the same throughout the tournament. Jason Roy is part of our strong opening partnership with Alex Hales. He’ll definitely play,” Morgan told reporters.
With Stokes unsure of bowling, England may opt for a pacer in place of Adil Rashid and go with David Willey to add more variety.
England’s probable XI: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Mark Wood.
Taskin has leaked runs. Rubel’s show against India and a decent run in Ireland should earn him a place ahead of the former. Tamim Iqbal returning to the mix will make a huge difference.
Bangladesh’s probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Rubel Hossian, Mustafizur Rahman
Pitch and conditions: Like aforementioned, overcast conditions can make things tricky otherwise The Oval has presented teams with placid batting tracks in the warm-ups, and ICC tournaments in recent times have bowed to favourable batting conditions. The Oval is set to host a day ODI since Champions Trophy semi-final in 2013 where England beat South Africa in a low-scoring tie.
England have registered 25 ODI wins at this venue, their most at any ground, followed by 23 at Lord’s. They clearly love winning in London. However, in ICC events, they have lost 3 out of 5 games at this venue. Bangladesh registered their first ever win against England at Bristol in 2010 courtesy a 5-run thriller. Since then, Bangladesh have beaten England four times in their last seven encounters.
Squads:
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Alex Hales, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sanzamul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Taskin Ahmed.
TIME: 10.30 Local Time | 15.00 IST
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