World Cup: NZ thrashing presents Bangladesh with cheat codes to keep unsteady England down

New Zealand’s emphatic nine-wicket victory over England in the opening match of the 2023 ODI World Cup has sent a strong message to the other teams in the tournament that the Three Lions are not invincible.

 If the pitch for the England game is also slightly dry and holding, England’s batters may have trouble playing freely. | Photo Credit: AP

Playing cricket in India presents a unique challenge due to the vastness of the country and the need for players to adapt to different situations. Furthermore, the conditions on the field can change throughout the game, making it difficult for one-dimensional players to succeed. 

For their upcoming match against Bangladesh, England will have to adjust from the hot and humid climate of Ahmedabad, where temperatures reach 35 degrees, to the cooler climate of Dharamsala up north, where the mercury levels will be around 24 degrees during the morning when the match begins.

New Zealand’s emphatic nine-wicket victory over England in the opening match of the 2023 ODI World Cup has sent a strong message to the other teams in the tournament that the Three Lions are not invincible. The way they lost the match highlighted the same batting timidity that hurt their campaign in 2015.

Despite the size of the crowd in Ahmedabad, they would have hoped to see England put up a fight. The England team has several players who have made a name for themselves in the IPL, including Jos Buttler, who received the loudest cheer from the crowd when he came to bat.

Instead, the approach displayed a lack of confidence in the batting line-up. The only partnership of more than 40 runs was between Joe Root, who scored 77 from 86 balls, and Buttler, who hit 43 off 42. Bangladesh can take advantage of this.

The pitch used for the Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan match in Dharamsala was slower than expected and didn’t provide much support to the pacers. If the pitch for the England game is also slightly dry and holding, England’s batters may have trouble playing freely.

Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini/ The Hindu

Bangladesh’s attack is diverse, with left and right arm, swing, and spin bowlers. If the pitch is slow, it will be difficult to hit length balls, but fuller ones will disappear. Bangladesh’s quick bowlers will aim to target the back-of-a-length region.

Mustafizur Rahman effectively used the short-ball approach in the first batting Powerplay against Afghanistan by placing men at deep point and deep square leg. This strategy is one way to play with the egos of hard-hitting English openers and tempt them into making mistakes.

However, their radars with the new ball, particularly from Shoriful Islam, were not accurate. Against a formidable pair like Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan, they cannot afford such profligacy.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took six wickets between them by simply bowling to their fields. They had fielders at the edge of the circle and invited the Afghan batters to clear the circle by tossing the ball up to slightly fuller lengths. England has a more accomplished set of batters, but their response to Bangladesh’s spin traps could potentially determine the outcome of the game.

Teams facing England should be cautious about using too much left-arm spin, as it has three left-handers in its top seven, and four if Ben Stokes is fit to play. It will be interesting to see how Shakib manages his overs, as it is a shorter hit leg side, and a 75-metre hit down the ground.

The presence of left-handed batters in the team also brings off-spinners into play during the middle overs. Mehidy should benefit from this opportunity to bowl to England. Although English players tend to play the sweep shot to counter spin, the extra bounce in Dharamsala could bring top edges into play. The fact that the ground is more than 1400 metres above sea level means a strong cross-wind could even carry mishits over the fence.

That being said, England will still start as favourites on Tuesday. Bangladesh top-order can be susceptible to high pace. But as Mark Wood found out a few nights ago, pace can travel too.

Bangladesh will be aware that England’s the first side to be ODI and T20 world champions simultaneously, and that’s for a reason. Take them lightly at your peril.