Bangladesh already lost the ODI series against England. Now, the upcoming 2023 BAN vs ENG T20 series starting from March 9 is the only hope to beat England in the bilateral T20 series. While England announced the T20 squad 21 days earlier in the one-day series, Bangladesh just announced the T20 team after the second ODI. The T20 series will start on March 9 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. The remaining two matches of the series will be played at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on March 12 and 14, respectively.
Analysis of Bangladesh T20 Squad Against England
Minhajul Abedin Nannu, the chief selector, revealed that Bangladesh think tank is taking a long-term approach to the T20 format and, thus, has included several new players in the T20 squad for the forthcoming England series.
Five players who had an impact in the recently completed Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) have been chosen for the Tigers T20I squad to take on England in the coming weeks. Shamim Hossain and Rony Talukdar were the returning players, while Towhid Hridoy, Rejaur Rahman Raja, and Tanvir Islam were selected for their first T20I appearance.
Left-arm spinner Tanvir has bowled well in BPL. He took 18 wickets for the champions Comilla Victorians in the 20-over tournament. Towhid Hridoy scored 403 runs in 13 matches for Sylhet Strikers. Sylhet Strikers pacer Rejaur Rahman Raja took 13 wickets in 8 matches. Rony Talukdar, who opened for Rangpur Riders, got a chance in the team after performing in BPL.
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Shamim Hossain Patwari, who played the last international T20 match in 2021, has also returned to the squad, attracting attention towards the end of the BPL. He was a member of the U-19 World Cup winning team who played 10 T20s for the country and returned to the national team after a great BPL for Rangpur Riders. Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali Rabi, Sabbir Rahman, and Mohammad Saifuddin have been left out of the T20 World Cup squad to make room for newcomers.
32-year-old Rony Talukdar played the only T20 for the country in 2015. Where he scored 21 runs off 22 balls against South Africa in Mirpur.
BCB has announced a 15-member squad for the first two matches of the T20 series against England with Shakib Al Hasan as the captain.
Bangladesh T20 Squad in BAN v ENG Series 2023
Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Rejaur Rahman Raja and Tanvir Islam.
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Key Batters of Bangladesh Squad in 2023 BAN v ENG Series
Towhid Hridoy
Fans will be eagerly awaiting Towhid Hridoy's first appearance in the T20 series, as he got a chance in the national team due to his successful performance in the BPL. In BPL, he scored 403 runs with a strike rate of 140 and five fifties.
Overall, he played 49 T20 matches for the Bangladesh U19 team and scored 1126 runs with five 85 highest scores. It is now up to him to show what he can bring to the Bangladesh team for their match against England.
Litton Das
Litton Das has been in outstanding form lately. Although he only played one T20 against England, we are eager to see his incredible batting. With 379 runs, Litton is the fourth top scorer in BPL 2023. Apart from this, in his career from 2015-2022, Litton played 65 T20 matches for Bangladesh and scored 1388.
However, he only scored 9 runs in his only T20 against England in 2021. So, it is expected that Litton will continue his incredible T20 performance and help Bangladesh in the T20 series.
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Najmul Hossain Shanto
Najmul Hossain Shanto can be another key batter for Bangladesh. So far, he has played 17 T20 matches for Bangladesh and scored 384 runs with a high score of 71. However, he has a good track record in recent BPL. In his 15 BPL matches, Shanto has amassed 516 runs at an impressive average of 39.69. He has batted in all 15 innings, remaining not out twice, and has the highest score of 89.
Additionally, his BPL 2023 strike rate of 116.74 showcases his ability to score quickly and efficiently. With such impressive stats, Shanto is definitely a cricketer to watch out for against England.
Key Bowlers in Bangladesh Team in 2023 BAN v ENG Series
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Since his white ball debut against England on October 20, 2016, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been showing his excellence with the ball. The English batsmen were completely taken aback by the power of his delivery, as he took six wickets in the first innings in his debut test.
However, Miraz is yet to play any T20 against England. In his last two ODI matches with England, Miraz took 4 wickets, which indicates that he understood the English batsmen’s tactics. So, going up against England in the T20 will surely motivate Miraz to perform to the best of his abilities.
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Taskin Ahmed
We must now look ahead to Taskin Ahmed's performance following Miraz, who is evidently a very committed bowler for Bangladesh. Taskin was invited to play three games in the ongoing PSL but declined the offer as he was more eager to take on England.
Up to now, he has got four wickets in two matches in this ongoing ODI series. So, he will surely give his best in the bilateral T20 series against the English.
Key Bangladeshi Allrounder in BAN v ENG T20 Series
Shakib Al Hasan
Regarded as the greatest cricketer of all time in Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan is capable of altering the course of any match at any time. We eagerly await his batting and bowling prowess in the T20 series.
However, he didn’t have an excellent performance in the ongoing ODI series. He scored 66 runs and took 2 wickets in two matches. Shakib played only one T20 against England and scored only 4 runs. Further, he is yet to get any wickets against England in T20. So, the upcoming series will be Shakib’s chance to show his class.
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Final Words
Bangladesh's T20 team is not as organized as ODIs. There is much room for change and development. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s opening pair has scope for change. Sylhet Strikers opener Tawhid Hridoy batted very well in the BPL. So, he might get a chance in the starting eleven. Since Bangladesh is moving forward with a long-term plan for the T20 team, we might see some changes in three matches of the BAN vs ENG T20 series 2023.