Hosts Bangladesh have already lost the series after losing the first two ODIs in Mirpur. There is one more match left. Tigers will have to accept the shame of whitewash if they lose this match. The two teams will take the field tomorrow at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong at 12 noon Bangladesh time. The match will be telecast live on T-Sports.
Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusinghe got the first assignment in the series against England after taking over as the head coach of the Bangladesh team in the second term. And in the first mission, Bangladesh lost the series with one match in hand. But will Hathuru taste the whitewash when the responsibility comes?
Bangladesh got off to a good start after winning the toss and batting in the first ODI. But without Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the batsmen could not benefit with the bat. All wickets lost and stopped at just 209 runs. Still, the team dreams of winning in the whirlwind of Taijul-Miraj-Shakib. But David Malan’s brilliant century saw the visitors win by 3 wickets.
Tamim-Sakibra did not care in the second match. Batting at the beginning of the match, visiting England scored 326 runs for 7 wickets in the scheduled 50 overs with the excellent batting of Jason and Jos Buttlers. No Bangladeshi batsman could take advantage without Shakib coming down to chase runs. Tigers’ innings stopped at 194 runs.
In 2012, Bangladesh were last whitewashed by Pakistan in a three-match ODI series at home. Then in 2014, Bangladesh lost 2-0 to India in the three-match series. Ever since that series against India, Bangladesh started improving in the ODI format. Apart from starting a streak of winning matches on foreign soil, they became unstoppable at home. Before this series against England, the Tigers had lost only 1 series in 2016.
Bangladesh and England have played 23 matches so far. The English won 19 of them. Bangladesh won in only 4. As the only Test playing country, England has not yet lost an ODI series to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Probable XI:
Tamim Iqbal (captain), Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehdi Hasan Miraj, Mostafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam.
England Probable XI:
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Karan, Shakib Mahmood, David Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
(05 March/MM)