Bangladesh vs England dead rubber on the cards as ICC fall short of their aim
The ODI Super League was meant to bring context to every game. Market forces have not let that happen
Matt Roller
05-Mar-2023
Jos Buttler soaks in England's series victory • Gareth Copley/Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Big picture - England's Super League ends
England arrived in Chattogram on Saturday ahead of their final fixture in the inaugural - and only - edition of the ICC's ODI Super League. On Monday, they are looking to secure a three-nil series win, thereby becoming the first team to secure an away ODI series whitewash in Bangladesh since Sri Lanka in 2014.
The Super League, the qualifying process for the 2023 World Cup in India, launched in 2020 with the lofty, noble aim to "raise the stakes of bilateral 50-over games", according to the ICC at the time.
The idea was simple enough. World Cup qualification had generally been decided on the opaque rankings system. Commercially-driven boards had no competitive incentive to schedule ODI series evenly, so top teams scheduled long series which were largely devoid of context against one another, rarely deigning to play emerging nations.
The fixture list was imperfect - each team was scheduled to play eight opponents out of a possible twelve - but still generated series that might never have happened otherwise. The Netherlands hosted West Indies, England, Pakistan and New Zealand in a single summer. Ireland turned West Indies over in the Caribbean. Zimbabwe played Australia in a bilateral ODI series for the first time in 18 years - and won the third game.
For Ireland, South Africa and Sri Lanka - who, along with West Indies, are jostling to avoid June's qualification tournament in Zimbabwe by securing the final automatic World Cup spot - the final months of the Super League represent a vital opportunity.
But for the rest, they are an irrelevance. As the qualification cycle draws towards a close, it is clear that market forces have overtaken the ICC's ambitions: several series have now been abandoned as a result of franchise cricket's squeeze on the international calendar, and the Super League has been scrapped altogether.
"Since each point matters, there will be no dead rubbers and teams will always have to be at their very best," the ICC said in 2020. Monday's game in Chattogram is a direct refutation of that claim.
Form guide
Bangladesh LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLL
England WWWLL
In the spotlight: Litton Das and Rehan Ahmed
Litton Das was the leading run-scorer for BPL champions Comilla Victorians and is long established as Tamim Iqbal's opening partner in ODIs. But he has not got going in this series, scratching around for 7 off 15 in the first game before chopping his first ball to point in the second. He has now gone five ODI innings in a row without reaching 50, and could do with a score in Chattogram.
If not now, when? Rehan Ahmed, the 18-year-old legspinning allrounder, is England's long-term replacement for Adil Rashid and could win his first white-ball cap on Monday. The deadest of rubbers provides the ideal low-stakes opportunity for him to make his debut, and his ability with the bat means he could even play alongside Rashid if conditions suit.
Team news: Will Buttler rest himself?
Mustafizur Rahman looked out of sorts and short on confidence in Mirpur, bowling 18 wicketless overs and leaking 5.83 an over, making him the most expensive bowler on either side. If Bangladesh decide to change things up, he could give way for Ebadot Hossain or Hasan Mahmud. The uncapped Towhid Hridoy is the squad's spare batter.
Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Ebadot Hossain/Hasan Mahmud.
Reece Topley is likely to play for the first time in the series, with England rotating their seam attack throughout the tour. Will Jacks has been ruled out of the rest of the tour with a quad injury; with no spare batter in the squad, England will change their balance somewhat.
England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid/Saqib Mahmood, 11 Reece Topley.
Pitch and conditions: Expect it to spin again
The weather in Chattogram has been warm and dry. The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium pitches tend to be significantly better for batting than Mirpur; in the most recent game at the venue, India piled on 408 for 9. But this one could assist spinners for a change, as it looks quite dry. "The block, just walking over the square, definitely feels a bit harder; the one in Mirpur felt a little bit tacky, a bit softer," Mark Wood said on Sunday.
Stats and trivia
- Jason Roy's hundred on Friday was his 12th in ODIs, taking him joint-third in England's all-time list. He is one behind Eoin Morgan, and four behind Joe Root.
- Shakib Al Hasan needs four wickets to reach 300 in men's ODIs. He would be the first Bangladesh bowler to reach that landmark, and the third left-arm spinner after Sanath Jayasuriya and Daniel Vettori.
- England have only played seven men's fixtures across formats in 2023 but have already used 27 players, the joint-most of any team this year.
- Friday's victory saw England leapfrog New Zealand at the top of the Super League table. They could extend their lead to 15 points on Sunday.
Quotes
"There's nothing called an automatic choice. Nobody is an automatic choice. I will not be in the team if I am not performing regularly, even though I am the captain. A player's performance graph will go up and down all the time, but we believe he will turn his form around."
Tamim Iqbal has faith in Mustafizur Rahman despite his slow start to the series.
Tamim Iqbal has faith in Mustafizur Rahman despite his slow start to the series.
"He's impressed everybody, not just me. The whole team have said how well he's bowled. He's bowling quickly, hitting good lengths. In the first game, he showed our seam-bowling group where to bowl, really."
Mark Wood says that Taskin Ahmed has left a positive impression on England's squad.
Mark Wood says that Taskin Ahmed has left a positive impression on England's squad.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98