The England national team arrived in Bangladesh to play three ODI and three T20 matches starting from March 1. This marks England's return to Bangladesh for the first time since 2016, with this being their fourth bilateral series tour in the country. Let’s see some of the key players from Bangladesh and England squads can shine in the BAN vs ENG ODI Series 2023.
6 Key Players from Bangladesh ODI Squad
BCB already announced a 14 member squad for the ODI series. While there are regular faces, new players are also included in the team. Now, it is time to see how many of them impact the Bangladesh team. The following are the key players for the Bangladesh team.
Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal, the left-handed opener of the Bangladesh senior cricket team, is one of the most successful batsmen against England. Having played 14 matches and scored 488 runs, including two centuries with a top score of 128 against England, Tamim is expected to give his best in this series. However, Tamim was forced to be absent from the team due to an injury.
More: England Look to Bangladesh ODI Series with One Eye to World Cup
Now that he is returning, fans are eager to witness his best performance. Due to a groin injury, Tamim was unable to participate in the ODI series against India in December, yet Litton Das led the team to a victorious 2-1 outcome.
Litton Das
Recently, Litton Das has been in outstanding form, and with his upcoming ODI against England, we are excited to see his incredible batting ability against an opponent he never faced before. Last December, he captained Bangladesh against India, but sadly his performance was not up to the mark, as he scored only 77 runs in three ODIs.
Despite this, he earned praise for his captaincy skills, as Bangladesh was triumphant against India, winning the series with one match left in hand. Therefore, since Litton Das will be free of extra pressure in this tournament, we expect that he will be able to provide his regular performance.
Towhid Hridoy
Towhid is a new name in Bangladesh T20, but he got a call for the ODI team. Bangladeshi cricket fans eagerly await Hridoy's first appearance in this one-day series, as he was given the opportunity to join the national team due to his impressive performances in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
This year, he scored 403 runs with the bat in the BPL season, boasting a strike rate of 140 and five fifties. In the past, he has made 49 ODI appearances for the Bangladesh Under-19s, racking up 1624 runs with five centuries and ten half-centuries. Now, it's time to see if this experience has come to any help in the success of Bangladesh against England.
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan is widely regarded as the greatest cricketer in Bangladesh's history, and his ability to turn a match around at any time has been well known. His incredible performance against England, which saw him notch up 399 runs and take 14 wickets in 14 appearances, has left fans eagerly anticipating his performance.
Furthermore, the current number one in both ICC ODI and T20I rankings has the chance to reach two major milestones in the England series. If Shakib can manage to score an additional 165 runs with the bat, he will become the second Bangladeshi, after Tamim Iqbal, to collect 7000 ODI runs; 43 players have achieved this feat so far.
His current tally stands at 6835. Additionally, if he takes 6 more wickets with the ball, he will be the first Bangladeshi to reach 300 ODI wickets; only 13 bowlers have accomplished this, and Shakib is at 13th with 294 wickets currently.
Taskin Ahmed
Starting his international career in 2014, Taskin has become a dependable name for the Bangladesh cricket team. So far, 52 matches and taken 69 wickets with 5/28 best bowling figure.
Taskin Ahmed has proven himself to be a devoted cricketer for Bangladesh, as he has recently declined an offer from Multan Sultans to play three matches of the current PSL in preference of playing against England. He appeared in 4 ODI matches against England and took 5 wickets, his best bowling performance being 3/47 against the English team.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
England will never forget Miraz. He has an outstanding record against England, having made his Test debut against them on October 20, 2016. During that match, the English batsmen were unable to counter his skilled bowling, with Miraz taking six wickets in the first innings and one in the second. He then went on to play an ODI against England and claim two more wickets.
As a more experienced bowler now, Miraz has a total of 79 wickets in 67 ODIs for Bangladesh. Meeting England again after such a long time is sure to motivate him to give an even better performance.
6 Key Players from England ODI Squad
The England team arrived in Bangladesh without many regular ODI and T20 players. Some are not staying due to injury, and some will be busy in Test and franchise cricket. Still, the English team is quite strong in the two editions.
Jos Buttler
England's success in their upcoming series against Bangladesh will be largely reliant on Jos Buttler's captaincy and batting. As of February 2023, Buttler has played a total of 162 ODIs, boasting an impressive array of records, such as 11 centuries in ODI, which will be of great benefit to him in leading the team.
Buttler also has a good record against Bangladesh. The batter has 6 ODI matches and scored 274 runs with 65 high scores against Bangladesh.
Tom Abell
Tom Abell, a middle-order batsman and Somerset captain who is also capable of bowling, has been selected for England's T20 and ODI teams. Recently, he competed in the South Africa Twenty20 (SA20) and was the top batsman in the County Championship 2022 with 1039 runs and a stunning average of 51.95.
To add to his successes, he was part of Sri Lanka's domestic T20 league, the Lanka Premier League, in December.
Sam Curran
With his impressive performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he secured the most wickets for England and was named Player of the Tournament, Sam Curran is set to be a major contributor to the English team during the Bangladesh tour.
Holding the English record for the best T20I figures of 5/10 against Afghanistan in 2022, his left-arm medium-fast bowling is a force to be reckoned with. Thus, Curran is expected to have a significant impact on the upcoming series, as he is currently in the best form of his life.
Jofra Archer
After his successful comeback against South Africa, Jofra Archer was included in both the T20 and ODI squads in May 2019. His international debut was also marked by his inclusion in the England team at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which they went on to win.
In the following summer, he made his Test debut against Australia in the Ashes series 2019. His impressive feats were finally acknowledged in April 2020 when he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He played only one match against Bangladesh and took three wickets, and it is the best bowling figure of his career.
Rehan Ahmed
After a successful Test debut in Karachi in December, where he took seven wickets at an average of 19.57, Rehan Ahmed has been selected for the first time to England's white-ball squads. He set a remarkable record on the third day of the match, becoming the youngest debutant to claim five wickets in a single inning in men's Test cricket, making Rehan the youngest Test debutant in England's history.
His inclusion in the ODI team will present him with the opportunity to establish himself as the permanent spinner for England and make a strong case for his selection for the ODI and T20 World Cups taking place in 2023 and 2024, respectively, in order to replace current spinner Adil Rashid for the long term.
Saqib Mahmood
After his last Test match against West Indies last year, Saqib Mahmood rejoined the England squad. He has taken 14 wickets in ODI cricket so far, with an impressive average of 19.92. A right-arm fast bowler, Mahmood made his international Twenty20 debut in November 2019 and then his Test debut in March 2022.
In April 2019, he became the first Lancashire bowler to take a five-wicket haul in consecutive List A matches in the Royal London One-Day Cup. Two years later, he achieved a similar feat in first-class cricket, taking 5/47 during the 2021 County Championship match against Yorkshire. This series will mark his first match against Bangladesh.
Final Words
So far, we have discussed the key players from Bangladesh and England Squad in theBAN vs ENG ODI Series 2023. While England will play with less experienced players, Bangladesh will fight with a strong, experienced squad. Hence, Bangladeshi players will have a great chance to show their class on the home ground. However, these players from both teams will have a chance to turn the momentum for their team.
Source: United News of Bangladesh