DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — Bangladesh won the toss and sent defending champion England in to bat Tuesday in the second game for both teams at the Cricket World Cup.
England opened the tournament with a heavy nine-wicket loss to New Zealand at Ahmedabad, giving the Black Caps a measure of revenge for the narrow result in the 2019 final.
Bangladesh is coming off a six-wicket opening win over Afghanistan.
England has won 19 of the 24 previous one-day internationals against Bangladesh, although the ledger in World Cups is even at 2-2 since 2007. England lost to Bangladesh in both the 2011 and 2015 editions, with the latter defeat knocking it out in the league stage.
Bangladesh made one change to its XI, with batting allrounder Mahedi Hasan picked in place of Mahmudullah in a like-for-like replacement.
England also made one change, with left-arm pace bowler Reece Topley replacing spinning allrounder Moeen Ali. It is a change perhaps keeping in mind the change in conditions, especially the higher altitude ground at Dharamsala.
Ben Stokes was sidelined for a second consecutive game because of a hip problem.
The pitch for this game is a fresh one, and not the one used for the Bangladesh-Afghanistan game. Yet, it is expected to support spin as the game goes on.
There was plentiful rain late Monday in Dharamsala, so the fast bowlers should get early assistance.
The patchy outfield at HPCA Stadium has been under the spotlight in the build-up to this game, particularly rough areas which pose a challenge to fielders.
England skipper Jos Buttler described the outfield conditions as ‘poor’, while the International Cricket Council deemed it ‘average’ in its report from the previous game.
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Lineups:
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
