On-song England look to maintain good run
After a terrific ODI series victory against Australia, a confident England get ready to take on an inconsistent Bangladesh side whose performances have been dipping on the radar in recent games.
Andy Flower’s appointment as coach has worked wonders for the Brits since the Ashes as apart from the 2009 ODI series against Australia, which they lost 1-6 followed by a knock-out in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy by the same team, they have not lost a single series, be it Test, ODI or T20I. The batting looks in excellent shape, with the top six contributing consistently. Pietersen has been rested due to injury but the side may not miss him too much, courtesy the presence of Eoin Morgan in the side. The bowling looks in tremendous shape too, with all the bowlers doing well. Problems, if any, seem to be with the opening pair’s form and also, the bowling in the Quick Start Overs.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, after a terrific start to the year, have not quite been able to maintain their good performance. The openers, Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, seem to be in the form of their lives, but there seems to be a vacuum after that as the middle order has been failing miserably, leading to the execution of Mohammad Ashraful from the side. Shakib al Hasan has given the reigns of captaincy to Mortaza temporarily, in order to concentrate on his own performance and his form could be a great factor in Bangladesh’s fight. The side has got exciting young fast bowlers in Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam who could be a handful in the swinging conditions in England.
Bangladesh could prove a tough nut to crack should they get their act together. However, England have been the most impressive team apart from Australia in the last six months and there should not be too many problems. But should complacency set into the side, Bangladesh might well get a sniff.
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