Bangladesh series just kind of challenge we need says Buttler
England face the difficult task of defending their World Cup title in India later this year.
Cricket PassionEditor
Posted - 2023-02-26T22:09:42+06:00
Updated - 2023-02-26T22:09:42+06:00
"We expect a slow and low wicket to test us in difficult conditions, which will be great preparation for our progression."
Jos Buttler, England's white-ball captain, believes the slow, low surfaces his team is likely to encounter in the upcoming ODI and T20I series in Bangladesh provide ideal preparation for this winter's 50-over World Cup in will be India.
Buttler's team recently added the T20 World Cup title to the Over-50 crown they so memorably won at Lord's in 2019, but their ability to refine their defense of that latter trophy has been limited by the constraints of the global Itinerary affected.
They come into this campaign having played just 33 ODIs since early 2020 - by comparison, they played 98 between the end of the 2015 World Cup and the Finals four years later - and not a 50-over streak since winning in four tries won Netherlands last June. That includes a streak of five straight defeats before victory in their last game in South Africa last month.
The tour kicks off with two ODIs on March 1st and 3rd at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, while the third and final game will be played on March 6th at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. The two teams will next meet in a three-game T20I series, the first of which will be played on March 9th on Chattogram and the remaining two in Dhaka on March 12th and 14th.
Jos Buttler's side are the only team to beat Bangladesh at home in an ODI series since 2015. They defeated them 2-1 in a three-game series in October 2016.
"It's been a long time," Buttler said of England's win in their last ODI series in 2016, when Bangladesh also recorded their first Test win over the visitors.
Bangladesh have a good record at home: Jos Buttler
“Bangladesh have a good record at home. We have some very good players on our team. We look forward to the challenge. We've gotten a lot of guys to play in sub-continental conditions over the past few years," he added.
Two English players, Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali, played in the Bangladesh Premier League which peaked in early February. Buttler, Jason Roy and Jofra Archer have also previously played in the nation's premier T20 competition.
The new kid on the block, Will Jacks, brought in to replace the injured Tom Abell, was the league's top scorer in the 2021/22 season.