After almost seven years, England is coming to Bangladesh to play the white ball series. BCB has completed all preparations for the 3-match ODI and T20 series in the 18-day tour. The ODI series will start on March 1. A day later, the two teams will face each other in the second ODI on March 3 and the third ODI on March 6. Bangladesh and England will play three T20 matches on March 9, 12, and 14. England’s cricket board has announced the team ahead of the upcoming two series. While Ben Stokes is not on the team, there is a surprise.
England Squad for Bangladesh Tour
Captain Jos Buttler will have to come to Bangladesh with a weak team due to the absence of several top stars. Opener Alex Hales had already informed us that he would not visit Bangladesh due to the decision to play Pakistan Super League (PSL). This time he is accompanied by stars like Sam Billings, James Vince, and Liam Dawson. Several other first-class cricketers will not be available in Bangladesh due to the Test series against New Zealand.
England’s white version team will come to Bangladesh on February 24 to play a three-match ODI and T20 series. On the same day, England will play the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington. Being in that team, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Oliver Stone, Will Jacks, and Joe Roots are not available for the Bangladesh tour. Besides, two impressive batsmen, Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone are injured.
PSL will continue during England’s tour of Bangladesh. The franchise is having a big impact on this tour because the ECB does not refrain from cricketers who are outside the central contract playing in these leagues. Rather, they are given the freedom to choose. That’s why Hales, Billings, Dawson, and Vince are not available.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the decision of the cricketers not wanting to come to Bangladesh has been positively taken by the ECB. In the absence of so many stars, England will see several new faces playing. In particular, some of England’ A’ team players were called up for this tour.
England's ODI Squad for Bangladesh Tour:
Jos Buttler (captain), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
England's T20I Squad for Bangladesh Tour:
Jos Buttler (captain), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
England Squad Analysis for BAN vs ENG Series 2023
The England cricket team has announced a squad of 15 players for their upcoming tour of Bangladesh next month for both ODI and T20I.
Key Batters
Overall the whole English team will be dependent on Jos Buttler’s captaincy and batting. As of February 2023, Buttler played 162 ODIs and 103 T20Is. He has some significant records and experience, which will help him to lead the team against Bangladesh. Some of his records include 11 centuries in ODI, one century in T20Is, and more.
England has included uncapped Somerset batsman Tom Abell in both T20 and ODI teams. Abell, who captains the England Lions one-day team against Sri Lanka, recently competed in SA20 in South Africa. Abell is a middle-order batsman who can bowl as well.
In County Championship 2022, he topped Somerset’s batting charts with 1039 runs and a remarkable average of 51.95. Additionally, in December, he participated in Sri Lanka’s domestic T20 league, the Lanka Premier League.
Key Bowlers
England’s new upcoming star spinner Rehan Ahmed has been called up for the first time to the white-ball squads after an impressive Test debut at Karachi in December, where he took seven wickets at an average of 19.57. With his test debut, Rehan became the England men’s youngest Test debutant.
Further, he achieved a remarkable record on the third day of the match, becoming the youngest debutant to claim five wickets in a single innings in men’s Test cricket. Rehan’s chance in the ODI team will give him the opportunity to establish himself as the permanent spinner for England to replace Adil Rashid for the long term and to make a strong case for his selection for the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2023 and 2024.
Pacer Saqib Mahmood got a recall to the squad after playing his last Test match against West Indies last year. So far, he has taken 14 wickets in ODI cricket, with an average of 19.92. He is mainly a right-arm fast bowler, and he debuted for England in the international Twenty20 in November 2019, followed by his Test debut in March 2022.
In April 2019, Mahmood achieved a milestone for Lancashire by becoming the first bowler to take a five-wicket haul in successive List A matches during the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup. Two years later, he accomplished a similar record in first-class cricket, taking 5/47 during the 2021 County Championship match against Yorkshire.
Jofra Archer was also included in the T20 and ODI squad after his recent comeback against South Africa. Archer’s international debut was in May 2019 and he was also a part of the 2019 Cricket World Cup winning team.
After that, he made his Test debut in the following summer against Australia in the Ashes series 2019. Archer’s achievements were recognized in April 2020 when he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
Key Allrounder
Sam Curran will be a key player for the English team in the Bangladesh tour. He was the star of the 2022 T20 World Cup, taking the most wickets for England and being named Player of the Tournament. As a left-handed all-rounder, he bowls medium-fast and holds the English record for the best T20I figures of 5-10 against Afghanistan in 2022. So, it is evident that Curran will play a key role in the upcoming series as he is in the top form of his career.
Few Changes in the T20 Squad
Will Jacks and Ben Duckett are set to join the team from New Zealand before the T20I series starts, with Chris Jordan also following for the T20I portion of the trip? Jason Roy, James Vince, and Mahmood, however, will be departing the tour after the ODI series is finished.
Final Words
Although England is not getting most of their regular cricketers due to the New Zealand series and PSL, the team is visiting Bangladesh with some of the top class players. This mix of new and experienced players will surely give England the opportunity to pick the top players for the upcoming World Cup in India.
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