Bangladesh looking to strike back

Bangladesh will attempt to keep themselves in the series by getting a win at the second ODI in Dhaka on Tuesday. England lead the 3-ODI series 1-0.

Bangladesh will try to avoid their tenth straight defeat at the hands of England when the two sides meet in Mirpur tomorrow. The hosts did not have a great outing in the first match and the only highlight of their day was Tamim Iqbal’s century which kept them in the contest. He scorched a brilliant 125 from 120 balls at the top of the order but failed to find any support from the other batsmen. Much was expected from Mashrafe Mortaza on his return to International cricket after 12 months, but his bowling was ragged and well off his usual pace. Even more surprising was the fact that their spinners failed to get into their groove. They did not generate much turn off the wicket and the English batsmen looked pretty comfortable playing against them. It would have to be a much improved performance from the hosts if they are to keep themselves in with a chance of taking the series.

England on other hand,  would be high on confidence after a comfortable victory in the first game and would be looking to wrap up the series. Alastair Cook, who became the second youngest ODI captain for England, did not have a great start when England took the field, but his team came back strongly to prevent Bangladesh from reaching a big score. England’s batting performance was far from their best, though they got the job done in the end. Eoin Morgan continued to impress with the bat though Kevin Pietersen gave away his wicket cheaply. The visitors might consider the option of batting first this time around and give their bowlers an opportunity to bowl under lights with the dew factor. This could prove to be the ideal opportunity for preparation ahead of the World Cup, which is to be played in the sub-continent next year.