England will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing start to their 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign when they take on Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.
The Three Lions lost their opening match of the competition to New Zealand and are at the bottom of the table after the first round of matches, while the Tigers secured a convincing win over Afghanistan and are in fourth place.
Match preview
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England came into this competition heavily fancied to defend their crown, but their World Cup campaign got off to a very poor start as they were totally outplayed by New Zealand in their first match of the tournament last week at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat, Jos Buttler's side managed to post a total of 282/9 in their 50 overs, with Joe Root top-scoring with 77 runs in 86 balls, although he was the only English player to register a half-century in the innings.
In contrast to what we have become used to seeing over the last 12 to 18 months, England were not only unable to put together a partnership of any real substance but also lacked their usual aggression, with only Harry Brook and Buttler scoring better than a run a ball.
The omission of Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hip injury, was evident in the middle order, but perhaps their greater concern will be in the bowling department, with only Sam Curran taking a wicket in the match as the Kiwis romped to a nine-wicket victory.
Nevertheless, one loss does not suddenly make the English a bad team, and they will be expecting an improved performance in this match, although they will also be fully aware that Bangladesh are as game as they come and will not make it easy.
England have faced Bangladesh a total of 24 times in the 50-over format and have emerged victorious on 19 occasions, with the most recent victory coming earlier this year in their 2-1 series win.
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Meanwhile, Bangladesh made an incredible start to their World Cup campaign by claiming a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Afghanistan at this venue last week.
The Tigers decided to bowl after winning the toss and were extremely impressive with the ball in hand, with Mehidy Hasan and the ever-dependable Shakib Al Hasan headlining with three wickets each.
Seamer Shoriful Islam bagged two wickets for 34 runs, but it was the spinners that were the most impressive, and they will also have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions in this match since they will be playing their second consecutive game here in Dharamshala.
After bowling their opponents out for just 156 runs in 37.2 overs, Hasan also made a big contribution with the bat, scoring 57 off 73 balls, and his 97-run third-wicket partnership with Najmul Hossain Shanto ultimately sealed the win for his side.
Still, Bangladesh will know they cannot get ahead of themselves as their one-day international record of late has not been great and includes a 2-0 series loss to New Zealand and a defeat against England in their second warm-up match, all in the space of the last month.
Team News
There has been a lot of talk in the lead-up to this match about the condition of the field in Dharamshala, and while it has been cleared as playable, both sides will have to be concerned about the surface after seeing the difficulties the teams faced last week.
With that in mind, Stokes could potentially be a doubt for this match, as he reportedly looked uncomfortable during a light run in training and will likely not be risked with the apparent concerns over the poor outfield.
Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan are expected to open the batting again, but it will be interesting to see if the English opt to push Moeen Ali further up the order as they did to good effect in the Ashes earlier this year.
Having started the tournament with a win, it would come as no surprise if Bangladesh fielded an unchanged lineup here.
Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das scored five and 13 runs, respectively, at the top of the order last week, although they will likely be given another chance in this one, while M. Hasan and Shanto will provide stability in the middle-order.
Skipper Al Hasan will play a key role with the bat and ball, while Mahmudullah will provide the sixth bowling option if required and will reinforce the lower batting order as well.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes
Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Mahmudullah
Series so far
England
Match one: England lost by 9 wickets
England - 282/9 (50)
New Zealand - 283/1 (36.2)
Bangladesh
Match one: Bangladesh won by 6 wickets
Afghanistan - 156 (37.2)
Bangladesh - 158/4 (34.4)
We say: England to win
England had an off day last week and will need a better performance in this match, or they could find themselves with a mountain to climb in the latter stages of the tournament. While Buttler's side may not be at full strength at the moment, they have more than enough class in their lineup to see them get their first victory of the competition in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
