England are looking to put their opening game thrashing by New Zealand behind them when they tackle Bangladesh in Dharamshala in their second World Cup outing on Tuesday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues surrounding the game.
Injury concerns on sandy outfield
The conventional cricketing build-up to the game has been largely overshadowed by talk of underfoot conditions at the HPCA Stadium. The pitch itself is in good condition but away from the square the ground does not appear to be operating at international standard. A loose sand-based soil composition makes for an uneven base, while the grass coverage is patchy. The International Cricket Council have said it was rated as “average” after its first game of the tournament, but that appears a generous verdict. England can ill afford to sustain injuries in the field, but must balance any precautions against their natural instincts to chase down every ball.
Altitude six-ness
England have established a reputation over several years as a batting side who do not die wondering, but their efforts were made to look gentle by New Zealand, who easily outscored them on boundary count in Ahmedabad. They could not have pitched up at a better place to find their hitting range, with the stadium sitting 1,500 metres above sea level and benefitting from thin mountain air that can help the ball fly further. Liam Livingstone blasted nine sixes here as he struck 94 in 48 balls at this year’s IPL and he has already indicated a willingness to go for a repeat. He is unlikely to be alone.
Bairstow joins the hundred club
England opener Jonny Bairstow will collect his 100th ODI cap when the team-sheets are handed over, the 27th Englishman to do so and the sixth in the current squad. Only one of those has ever celebrated the milestone by scoring a hundred – current batting coach Marcus Trescothick in 2005. The opponents that day? Bangladesh.
A familiar foe
England place a lot of store on their engine room of all-rounders – Moeen Ali, Livingstone and Sam Curran – but it is their opponents who boast the number one all-rounder in the ICC rankings: Shakib Al Hasan. The wily left-armer first faced England as long ago as 2007 and has proved a thorn in their side over the years. He scored a fine hundred at Cardiff in the group stages of the 2019 tournament and earlier this year snapped up four for 35 in Mirpur, including three of the top four. He took three Afghanistan wickets at this ground on Saturday and will have a good feel for bowling in these conditions.
England need to reclaim safety net
Net run-rate is not the glitziest or most glamourous of concepts, but occasionally it can be the difference between reaching the knockouts and booking an early flight home. With nine group games to sort the wheat from the chaff, banking results remains the most important thing but England do have a grisly figure of minus 2.149 to contend with in the right-hand column of the standings. They were not just beaten by New Zealand, they were hammered with more than 13 overs left. At some stage they will want to work on improving that number and that means collecting a few handsome wins of their own. There is no time like the present.
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
Marsh named captain in Australia's T20 World Cup squad as Smith and Fraser-McGurk miss out
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia at next month's T20 World Cup, but Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk have been left out of the 15-man squad.
Marsh, who has shared the duties on an interim basis since Aaron Finch's retirement, was named the Baggy Greens' permanent T20 skipper on Wednesday.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been named in the squad, which features 11 of the players that were part of the team that won this tournament in 2021.
However, there is no place for former skipper Smith following a difficult spell of form, while Fraser-McGurk is also absent despite his impressive form in the Indian Premier League.
"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," selection chief George Bailey said.
"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.
"Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
"Ultimately, the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign."
"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh added.
"We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."
Australia will begin their tournament against Oman on June 5, while they will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B.
Australia's provisional squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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