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ICC Champions Trophy: Minnows Bangladesh look to upset hosts England in tourney opener
The Tigers` skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, who recently bid adieu to T20Is, would want to rise from the underdogs` tag to conjure as many upsets as possible to lead the team forward in the tricky tournament.
New Delhi: Arguably the most inexperienced side in the ICC Champions Trophy, Bangaldesh are set to bring their 11-year participation weight in the Mini – World Cup, as they take on hosts England in the tournament opener on June 1 at the Oval.
The Tigers' skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, who recently bid adieu to T20Is, would want to rise from the underdogs' tag to conjure as many upsets as possible to lead the team forward in the tricky tournament.
Going into the opening clash against England, Bangladesh would have their spirits high as they climbed to No. 6 spot in the ICC ODI team rankings for the first time, post their win over New Zealand.
A lot more experienced than Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are sitting at 7th and 8th spot, respectively. Having played ODI cricket for 31 years, this might just be the tournament that takes Ban to the next level.
As far as England's form is concerned, having won the first two matches against South Africa in the 3-match ODI series, the Three Lions lost the final encounter rather embarrassingly after being able to manage just 151, a total that the Proteas chased down in 29 overs.
Being the hosts, pressure is on Morgan's team to put in a strong performance and live up to the expectations that they have set after winning five of their last six ODI series. The fact that they have not been able to beat India, South Africa or Australia in their most recent encounters with these big guns, there is a certain pressure that Morgan and Co. will look to handle with grace.
England Squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Sam Billings, Jake Ball, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Bangladesh Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Somya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehdi Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam