Tigers take on Three Lions in Ctg T20 opener

After losing the ODI series, host Bangladesh are all set to face England in the three-match T20 International series starting Thursday in Chittagong. 

The match ctarts at 3pm at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 

Bangladesh though had already played 144 matches in this format since 2006, they had faced off England just once, that too in 2021 T20 World Cup, which the Tigers lost by 8 wickets.

England started the tour well with a 2-1 win in three-match ODI series, handing the hosts their first ever series defeat in this format since 2016. They were in fact the last visitor to win a series here.

A series victory in T20 format could quell Bangladesh’s pain of losing the ODI series but team’s head coach Chandika Hathurusingha made it clear their main focus would be to build a strong team for the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA.

Bangladesh lost the first two matches at their fortress in Mirpur but avoided a whitewash by winning the third and final ODI in Chattogram. The same pitch will be used in the first ODI, giving Bangladesh a hope to win the opening T20 match. 

Bangladesh won only 49 matches and lost 92 in 144 T20s while three other matches ended in a no result. 

However, the Tigers might field more than one debutants in the first match while Rony Talukdar who played his only T20 game back in 2015 could make a return to the side. 

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Liton Kumer Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Tanvir Islam.

England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Phil Salt (wk), Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes.