T20 World Cup 2021: England and Bangladesh are a study in contrast
Morgan’s England burnish their reputation while Bangladesh are in a tailspin
Abu Dhabi: Low-scoring matches can be tedious, especially if it’s one-sided like the Group 1 tie on Wednesday. England’s win over Bangladesh was never in doubt at any point in time. Such was their dominance that Bangladesh never got even a sniff of a chance at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
England started the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as one of the favourites and the two wins have only burnished their reputation. Both the victories have come in low-scoring games. They were stretched by the West Indies while chasing a paltry target in Dubai, but the win in Abu Dhabi clearly showed why they are one of the feared sides.
The pitches in the UAE are slow, and hence spinners are more effective than speedsters. And that was evident when Chris Jordan and Tyman Mills struggled to make an impact. But captain Eoin Morgan would be happy with off-spinner Moeen Ali’s spells, and Adil Rashid can be a tough customer, although the leg-spinner wasn’t at his best against Bangladesh.
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Liam Livingstone claimed two wickets, and that’s sure to please England. His part-time spin is a good option on slow wickets besides his big-hitting skills, which are yet to be called upon.
Where do Bangladesh go from here? Two losses in the Super 12s and one in Round One doesn’t sit well with a Test-playing country. True, this is T20. It’s a different ballgame. But there must be more talent in Bangladesh than in the associate nations of the International Cricket Council.
The loss to Scotland in Round One doesn’t seem like an aberration given the displays in the Super 12s. Although they did bat well against Sri Lanka, it wasn’t enough to challenge the batsmen from the island nation.
Shakib Al Hasan didn’t come good with the bat in both the matches, and that’s a worry. He did bowl well against the Sri Lankans but he couldn’t pose many problems for the Englishmen.
With two losses, Bangladesh chances in the tournament are remote. They now play the West Indies, Australia and South Africa. Not a comforting thought when a team are struggling.