England confident against wounded Bangladesh

Bangladesh was whipped by India, in the opening fixture held at the same venue on Tuesday, prompting captain Jahanara Alam to concede that her side needs to better cope with the pressures of a big occasion.

England could not have asked for a better lead-up to this challenge. Three practice games - two against New Zealand, and one against South Africa - all went its way.

Bangladesh faces an uphill task against title-contender England, in its Group B Women’s World Twenty20 fixture to be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday. Bangladesh was whipped by India, in the opening fixture held at the same venue on Tuesday, prompting captain Jahanara Alam to concede that her side needs to better cope with the pressures of a big occasion. “Yes, some of us were nervous (on Tuesday). However, we need to forget what happened and enter this match with a clear mind,” Jahanara said on Wednesday.

England, on the other hand, could not have asked for a better lead-up to this challenge. Three practice games - two against New Zealand, and one against South Africa - all went its way. “The warm-up ties in Chennai have given us the ideal platform to do well here. We were able to get a good understanding of Indian conditions, as well as the team combinations that we want to use,” England skipper Charlotte Edwards said.

Charlotte - she did not hesitate to label her team as the favourite - has good reason to be confident. In wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor and medium-pacer Anya Shrubsole, England has two match-winners, among many others who lay claim to stellar international records. The 36-year-old Charlotte, who has earned 90 Twenty20 international caps, added, “I’d say that 160 is a par-score, given that India scored 163 and comfortably defeated Bangladesh here.”