CWC 2023: England take on upbeat Bangladesh

The loss against New Zealand was an early wake-up call for Buttler, whose team members know the Indian pitches and the conditions here like the back of their hand with many of them playing in the Indian Premier League

Dharamsala: Defending champions England’s nine-wicket loss to New Zealand in their World Cup opener would have given Jos Buttler the jitters, and the skipper would like his teammates to make a strong comeback when they take on Bangladesh here on Tuesday.

The loss against New Zealand was an early wake-up call for Buttler, whose team members know the Indian pitches and the conditions here like the back of their hand with many of them playing in the Indian Premier League.

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While a score of 282 was always going to be difficult to defend at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the pace at which Kiwi opener Devon Conway and young left-handed batter Rachin Ravindra decimated the England bowling, scoring unbeaten centuries and making a mockery by finishing the contest in only the 37th over, would have jangled many a nerve in the team management and the fans back home.

While the likes of New Zealand pace bowlers Trent Boult, Matt Henry decimated the England batting, on the other hand, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Sam Curran were simply ineffective in breaking the mammoth 272-run partnership between Conway and Ravindra.

While former England skipper Joe Root, opener Jonny Bairstow and the skipper himself made some useful contributions, a big innings was sadly lacking, which cost the defending champions the opening match.

Bangladesh would like to exploit those chinks in England’s armour when they clash at the HPCA Stadium, that has drawn flak for the reported quality of the outfield.

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott had expressed his displeasure over the outfield at the Dharamsala Stadium following the six-wicket loss to Bangladesh in their opening match here, saying it was sheer fortune that some of the players did not pick up niggles while fielding.

Injuries so early in the tournament to any of their key players could jeopardise any team’s chances in the tournament and both side would like to avoid such a scenario.

While Buttler would like a more committed performance from both his batters and bowlers, whose best efforts could not breach the defences of Conway and Ravindra, Bangladesh would be upbeat following their winning start in the tournament.

While 36-year-old all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will always be a threat to any side, top-order batters Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto, among others, have also given fine performances over the years.

In a low-scoring match against Afghanistan here on Saturday, both Miraz and Najmul smashed fine half-centuries as they overhauled the 156-run total with more than 15 overs to spare. While England will certainly be the favourites, Bangladesh know how to turn the tide, and the defending champions know all too well that they can ill-afford a second successive loss.