England will square off against Bangladesh for the 2nd ODI in the three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Dawid Malan’s unbeaten 114 off 145 balls helped England defeat Bangladesh by three wickets in the 1st ODI on Wednesday.
The Men in Green set a meagre total of 209, however, the visitors got off to a poor start. Malan, however, helped the Englishmen out of a sticky wicket and slammed his career’s fourth ODI ton to give England a lead in the series.
What have they done so far?
England has had a rollercoaster run on the trot so far after a brutal mauling at the hands of Australia and South Africa.
England bowlers dominated at the start of the game and picked wickets at regular intervals. All the bowlers managed to get something in their wickets column, but Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid grabbed two wickets each.
The English bowlers ran through Bangladesh’s top order and besides Najmul Shanto’s antics, every other batsman danced to the tunes of the bowlers. Shanto scored 58 runs, which included six boundaries. Mahmudullah, too, stayed resistant before Wood got the better of him.
Malan’s century included 6 sixes
On the flip side, although they were chasing a small total, English batsmen too, looked devoid of creativity. The Men in Green ran through the English batting lineup. However, Malan kept wickets at one end and also launched a counter-attack which kept the Bangladeshi bowlers at bay.
Only five batsmen managed to reach double figures, with Malan being the standout performer. He scored 114 runs, which included eight boundaries and six maximums. However, Bangladesh managed to bag two wickets in the dying embers of the game, which kept the Englishmen on the back foot and only allowed them to eke out a slender win.
Head to Head record
Since the first game of this rivalry took place in 2000, 22 ODI matches between these two players have taken place throughout the history of cricket.
England is currently ahead of Bangladesh in the head-to-head record with a total of 17 victories compared to the Bangla Tigers’ status of just 4 victories. But, the Bangla Tigers’ revival in the 50-over category has caused the Brits enough grief to make this rivalry exciting.
In July 2010, the Asian Tigers ended England’s impressive 12-match victory streak, which also marked the beginning of the end of their tyrannical reign. Bangladesh then pulled off two back-to-back upsets on the international scene and eliminated them from the 2015 World Cup’s group stage to qualify for their first quarterfinal.
The final match between these two white-ball juggernauts was played at Cardiff during the World Cup’s group stage, and the eventual champions won by a commanding 106 runs.
Key Players
Shakib picked up the wicket of Jason Roy in the first match
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): He has been the most dependable player for the Men in Green. Despite failing to fire in the first match against England this time around, he scored 121 runs in his previous match against England. However, that effort came in a losing cause.
Shakib has more or less been the reason for whatever the Bangla Tigers have achieved in the recent past, including their dominant run at home, which was visible against India as well. More recently, the all-rounder finished as the highest wicket-taker with nine wickets in the test series against India. Moreover, he also managed to score 80 runs across three innings.
Clearly, despite losing to England in the first match, the hosts will depend on his skill and experience to help them bounce back and continue their dominant run at home.
Jos Butler (England): Butler, over the last few years has established himself as one of the deadliest white ball batsmen. His explosive batting style, coupled with his range of shots and his underrated captaincy and behind-the-wicket skills makes him the man to watch out for in the Asian subcontinent.
The Proteas claimed bragging rights in the series against England, but Butler showcased a ray of hope. Buttler led the ODI run-scoring charts in their bilateral series against the Proteas, hitting 261 runs at an astounding average of 130.5, including a single hundred and a half-century.
Predicted XIs
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal ©, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
England: Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Philip Salt, Jos Buttler ©, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
Prediction
England managed a slender win against Bangladesh in the first match. However, they look solid and a more balanced team on paper. We predict them to win the series and up their chances of gaining momentum for their preparation for the ODI World Cup slated to take place later this year.