BackEngland will aim to get back on track against Bangladesh
Four years of preparation have gone into England’s selection and game plan for this World Cup, so they will be reluctant to make any mid-course alterations
PremiumThe hosts and firm pre-tournament favourites England will want to restore the confidence of their fans after a defeat to Pakistan that few had anticipated. Their opponent on Saturday will be Bangladesh, who beat South Africa and almost pulled off an upset against New Zealand. It makes for an intriguing battle in Cardiff, Wales.
Pressure on the hosts and favourites
England fell 14 runs short of pulling off a record World Cup chase against Pakistan, who made an imposing 348 batting first at Trent Bridge on Monday. Eoin Morgan and Co. had chased such scores in a 4-0 win over Pakistan before the World Cup. But here they succumbed to the pressure of being the hosts and favourites in a big tournament. Joe Root and Jos Butler made great centuries but fell with the goal in sight. That too after Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed had missed a trick by letting both the centurions get away with edges through a vacant first slip.
Flexibility in game plan
England prefer to chase, having developed a mindset of sustained power-hitting to get whatever target is set. But this can be a double-edged sword on wickets which slow down as the game progresses. This can put the team under scoreboard pressure if the target is high.
And if England bat first, their gung-ho approach may need tempering on lively wickets with help for fast bowlers. Four years of preparation have gone into England’s selection and game plan for this World Cup, so they will be reluctant to make any mid-course alterations. But the loss to Pakistan would trigger some doubts.
Bangladesh’s best bet is to bat first
Bangladesh scored 330 and defended it against South Africa at The Oval. They could only make 244 against New Zealand on the same ground, with Shakib-al-Hasan scoring 64 at nearly a run a ball but no other batsman being able to cross 30. Still, Bangladesh made it a nail-biting contest that New Zealand managed to win with only two wickets in hand. The result might have been different if Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim had not botched a vital runout by breaking the wicket with his elbow. Nevertheless, the two games suggest Bangladesh’s best bet will be to bat first and exert pressure.
Bangla spinners hold the key
The Bangladesh spinners Shakib-al-Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, and Mosaddek Hossain took six out of the eight New Zealand wickets to bring the team to the brink of victory. In fact, the experienced Bangladesh skipper, Mashrafe Mortaza, erred at the end by taking Mosaddek off the attack when he still had two overs left in his quota. The left-handed Mitchell Santner who made the winning runs at the death for New Zealand might have found the off-spin of Mosaddek harder to get away than the left-arm seam of Mustafizur Rahman, who had an off day, conceding nearly seven an over in a low-scoring game.
New Zealand look set to top the table
With that nerve-wracking win over Bangladesh in the bag, New Zealand now look set to go to the top of the table. They play Afghanistan in Saturday’s second game, a day-nighter in Taunton. Afghanistan’s world class spinners Rashid Khan and Mohammad Naib can cause a flutter among the Kiwis, who looked shaky against spin in the Bangladesh game. But if the Taunton ground plays true to its batting-friendly nature, the New Zealand batsmen will get an opportunity to show their full range of shots.
Sumit Chakraberty is the author of 2019 Cricket World Cup Thinking Cap.
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