Match Preview – Bangladesh vs England, England in Bangladesh 2022/23, 3rd ODI

By shkhfiroj@gmail.com Last updated Mar 5, 2023 0

Big picture – England’s Super League ends

England arrived in Chattogram on Saturday ahead of their final game in the inaugural – and only – edition of the ICC’s ODI Super League. On Monday, they are looking for a three-nil series win to become the first team to secure an ODI series whitewash in Bangladesh since Sri Lanka in 2014.

The Super League, the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup in India, was launched in 2020 with the lofty, noble goal of “raising the stakes of bilateral 50-over matches,” according to the then ICC.

The idea was simple enough. World Cup qualification was generally decided based on the opaque ranking system. Commercially driven boards had no competitive incentive to evenly schedule ODI series, so top teams planned long series largely devoid of context against each other, rarely condescending to play emerging nations.

The fixture list was imperfect—each team would play eight out of twelve possible opponents—but still generated series that might never have happened otherwise. The Netherlands hosted the West Indies, England, Pakistan and New Zealand in a single summer. Ireland turned over the West Indies in the Caribbean. Zimbabwe played against Australia in a bilateral ODI series for the first time in 18 years – and won the third game.

For Ireland, South Africa and Sri Lanka – who are jostling with the West Indies to avoid the June qualifier in Zimbabwe by securing the last automatic World Cup spot – the final months of the Super League represent a crucial opportunity.

But otherwise they are irrelevant. As the qualifying cycle draws to a close, it is clear that market forces have overtaken the ambitions of the ICC: several series have now been halted due to pressure on the international franchise cricket calendar, and Super League has been dropped altogether.

“Since every point matters, there will be no dead rubbers and teams will always have to be at their best,” the ICC said in 2020. Monday’s game at Chattogram is a direct riposte.

Form guide

bangladesh LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLL

In the spotlight: Litton Das and Rehan Ahmed

Liton Badger was the leading runs scorer for BPL champions Comilla Victorians and has long been established as Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner in ODIs. But he didn’t get going in this series, flinging around for 7 from 15 in the first game before chopping his first ball to a point in the second. He has now played five ODI innings in a row without reaching 50 and could use a score in Chattogram.

If not now, when? Rehan Ahmed, the 18-year-old legspinning all-rounder, is England’s long-term replacement for Adil Rashid and could win his first white-ball cap on Monday. The deadliest of all rubbers gives him the ideal opportunity to make his debut at a low stakes, and his skill with the bat means he can even play alongside Rashid when the conditions are right.

Team News: Will Buttler Rest Himself?

Mustafizur Rahman was not looking and had little faith in Mirpur, bowling 18 wicketless overs and leaking 5.83 per over, making him the most expensive bowler on either side. If Bangladesh decides to change things, he could make way for Ebadot Hossain or Hasan Mahmud. The capped Towhid Hridoy is the team’s backup hitter.

bangladesh (possibly): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Ebadot Hossain/Hasan Mahmud.

Reece Topley will likely feature in the series for the first time, with England alternating his seam attack throughout the tour. England doesn’t have a reserve batter with them and doesn’t seem to be able to change the balance. It’s possible that Jos Buttler could borrow an idea from Eoin Morgan’s playbook, resting to give Will Jacks a shot at number 5; that would mean handing the reins to Moeen Ali and the gloves to Phil Salt.

England (possibly): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Reece Toply.

Pitch and conditions: Expect it to run again

The weather in Chattogram has been warm and dry. The pitches at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium are generally significantly better for hitting than Mirpur; in the most recent game at the venue, India stacked at 408 for 9. But this one might help spinners for a change as it looks quite dry. “The block, just walking across the square, certainly feels a bit harder; the one in Mirpur felt a bit tacky, a bit softer,” Mark Wood said on Sunday.

Statistics and tidbits

Jason Roy’s hundred on Friday was his 12th in ODIs and took him tied for third on England’s all-time list. He is one behind Eoin Morgan and four behind Joe Root.
Shakib Al Hasan needs four wickets to reach 300 in men’s ODIs. He would be the first Bangladeshi bowler to reach that milestone, and the third left arm spinner after Sanath Jayasuriya and Daniel Vettori.
England have played just seven men’s matches in a variety of formats in 2023, but have already fielded 27 players. the most joint of any team this year.
Friday’s win saw England leapfrog New Zealand to the top of the Super League table. On Sunday, they were able to extend their lead to 15 points.

Quotes

“There is nothing called an automatic pick. No one is an automatic pick. I won’t be in the team if I don’t perform regularly, even if I’m the captain. A player’s performance graph will go up and down all the time , but we believe he will reverse his form.”
Tamim Iqbal has faith in Mustafizur Rahman despite his slow start to the series.

“He has impressed everyone, not just me. The whole team has been saying how well he bowls. He bowls fast and gets good lengths. In the first game he really showed our seam bowling group where to bowl.”
Highlight Wood says Taskin Ahmed left a positive impression on the England squad.

Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98