Bairstow's unbeaten 108 off 48 balls, with eight fours and nine sixes, see Punjab secure the win with eight balls to spare
Bangladesh prepare to take on ‘favourites’ England in Champions Trophy opener
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza thinks in-form England will definitely be favourites when the two teams meet in the Champions Trophy opener.
Published : 31 May 2017, 05:02 PM
Updated : 31 May 2017, 05:05 PM
With a batting line-up that often goes as deep as No. 11, England have been scoring totals more than 300 regularly, and with their home advantage, the conditions will be stacked even more against the Tigers.
The Group A match is set for a 3:30pm BdST start at The Oval on Wednesday.
In their last 12 innings when they batted first, England have given their opponents 300-plus target 10 times.
Bangladesh lost their last home ODI series 1-2 against England in October last year. Skipper Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Alex Hales did not play in that series.
With a full-strength team available for selection in their backyard at the Champions Trophy, England are clear favourites.
“There are definitely good memories. We beat them in events like the World Cup. But it happened a long time ago,” Mashrafe said on Wednesday.
“If we look at both the teams and their form, England are definitely favourites.”
Bangladesh have played 19 ODIs against England so far, losing the first 12 games. After Bangladesh had beaten England by five runs in Bristol 2010, the scenario changed. The Tigers have won four of their last seven encounters with England.
England have never won a global 50-over tournament. Being tagged as favourites for this edition of the quadrennial Champions Trophy. Mashrafe feels the added expectation could pile pressure on the hosts.
“Sometimes it creates pressure. Playing at home does that, especially with the kind of cricket England have been playing recently. So they obviously hope to win the trophy, the pressure has to be here.”
The Group A also includes Australia and New Zealand. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa are in Group B.
Mashrafe’s men go into the tournament after overtaking Sri Lanka for the sixth ODI spot for the first time after beating New Zealand in Ireland. England are placed fifth in the rankings.
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