DHAKA: New Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said Tuesday he was bracing for a reality check against England but promised an “aggressive” posture when his team take on the reigning One-day International champions.
The three-match series begins in Dhaka on Wednesday and will test Bangladesh at a time when they have developed into a formidable force in the 50-over format.
They have won 12 of their last 15 ODIs, but England are the only visitors to have won a one-day series in Bangladesh since 2015.
“They are the world champions. They have one team playing somewhere else. They have another team here. They have a mind-blowing depth of talent,” Hathurusingha said, referring to the England Test team’s tour of New Zealand.
“We want to see where we are at, and find out the gap that we have to bridge. If we do well in these conditions, it will give us confidence,” he added.
“They have one of the best pace attacks in the world. They have five fast bowlers and three spinners on this tour. The challenge will be to play their fast bowlers in this series.”
Former Sri Lanka batsman Hathurusingha, 54, returned as Bangladesh coach last week for his second stint at the helm.
During his first tenure he was widely hailed as the architect of some of the national side’s finest moments, including ODI series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa.
But he was often reported to be at loggerheads with Bangladesh’s senior cricketers, including current captains Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, while coach from 2014 to 2017.
Since returning, Hathurusingha said he was “very impressed” by the team’s commitment and ready for a challenge.
“We played aggressive cricket in my last stint,” he said. “There are many ways of playing aggressive cricket apart from hitting the ball out of the ground. It is the attitude that we are bringing. Whether fielding, bowling or batting, we will be aggressive.”
England all-rounder Moeen Ali said his side had nothing to be afraid of despite Bangladesh’s formidable record at home.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of... We know they’re a good side and here they’re batting. They’ve got some very good batters, Liton Das, Tamim [lqbal]. These guys are very good players. And the bowling is very good.
“So it’s not about being afraid of anyone, it’s more just being on our game and being good,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter who are the favourites. I think Bangladesh in their own conditions are very good.
“And we know that we have lost eight in the last 10 but we are also the champions of the world and have done well,” he added. “We haven’t really had our best team for a lot of the time recently. But obviously Woody [Mark Wood] is here. Jofra [Archer] is here and we got new guys like Will Jacks... So it’s very exciting to have this group of players here.”
Moeen said England will maintain their aggressive batting even on slow pitches in the host country.
“We’ve done it all around the world. It’s a different challenge and probably a different sort of plan, but the mindset is always the same,” Moeen said. “If somebody bowls badly on any sort of surface, you try and put them away. So yeah, we’re confident, we got the players to play well here.”
The second ODI of the series will be held on March 3 in Dhaka before Chittagong hosts the third match on March 6. The ODI series will be followed by three T20 internationals, beginning in Chittagong on March 9 before returning to Dhaka on March 12 and 14.
Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2023
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