England players are raring to test themselves in the condition in Bangladesh in order to get prepared for the upcoming ICC World Cup in India later this year, England’s white-ball skipper Jos Buttler said on Sunday.
England have already started its preparation for the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh in Dhaka consisting of three ODIs and as many T20Is and it will be their last series in the sub-continent before they go to India to defend their World Cup crown.
“All our preparation is for the World Cup. These are the conditions that would probably be the closest we can get to playing in India. We have only these matches and we don’t play again before September just before the World Cup. It’s a great challenge for us and we are very excited about the series,” Buttler told reporters at a press conference held in Mirpur.
Buttler admitted that beating Bangladesh would be a great challenge for his team this time around despite being the current world champions of the 50-over and T20 cricket.
In 2016, Buttler, who led England in a three-match ODI series in the absence of their regular skipper Eoin Morgan, guided them to a 2-1 series win over Bangladesh and it was the last time when the hosts lost an ODI series at their own backyard.
The Tigers won successive seven ODI series at home after losing the series that also included teams like India, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
“Yes, it will be a great challenge for us. Obviously, Bangladesh are very tough to beat in their home conditions. You have already mentioned they have beaten India recently here,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman. “This is exactly the kind of challenge we need knowing the World Cup is not too far away. We need to test ourselves in the conditions that we find the hardest,” he added.
“We have had a lot of guys over the last few years exposed to playing in sub-continent conditions. A number of guys, who have been here played in the Bangladesh Premier League have, a bit of an idea about what to expect, though that does not make it any easier the challenge and we are looking forward to it,” he said, adding that they will continue playing the aggressive brand of cricket after assessing the condition.
“We always try to be aggressive as much as we can. I think the misconception is that we are raring for 400 every time…If the wicket allows us to score a maximum of 100, we will try to score 100. If it allows 80, we set it for 80. We will try to assess the condition and play our game as much as we can. And of course, we have to understand conditions and adapt. But we always follow the positive side…’ he concluded.
England players are seen during a practice session at the National Academy Playground in Mirpur
on Sunday. – BCB PHOTO
