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Bangladesh-England match in Kenya ICC meet today |
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October 5, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) - Amid great expectation of cricket-crazy fans at home, the new born test nation Bangladesh takes on England in the ICC Knockout Tournament in Kenya today (Thursday). After graduating to the elite club of test-playing nations, Bangladesh is going to play its first encounter in the 11-nation mega tournament dubbed as Mini World Cup Cricket. Bangladesh television and ESPN will telecast the match live from Gymkhana ground in Nairobi from 12:45pm local time. Bangladesh, just setting her tender foot in the test cricket with a fabulous ambition, first time meets England, one of the oldest cricket nations, in an limited over match. It is a huge task for skipper Naimur Rahman Durjoy, who just took the challenging job for the first time, and his men to make happy the country's cricket mad people as they meet a formidable side. The Britons came to Nairobi with a happy note beating West Indies in a test series at home after long 31 years as well as winning the tri-nation one-day series comprising West Indies and Zimbabwe. But Bangladesh captain in an Internet interview confidently said that they would do well against England despite its recent successes. The real strength of Durjoy and Co is batting but they are missing the services of two regular openers Mehrab Hossain Opee, the lone ODI century maker, and Shahriar Hossain Bidyut, due to injury. But the main concern for Bangladesh batsmen is to face the English pace attack comprising Daren Gough and Andrew Caddick on the Nairobi pitch, which so far favoured seam bowlers. The three times World Cup finalists English team, who yet to win any major tournament in recent times, have also a good batting lineup against the ordinary Bangladeshi bowling attack. Bangladesh's success depends mainly on their middle order batsmen and spinners to earn respectable result. However, skipper Durjoy thinks they should look for a win rather than a respectable result. Bangladesh, starting from its first ODI victory against Kenya in India in 1998, so far managed only three wins in 40 one-day internationals. In 1999, in its maiden appearance in the World Cup in England, Bangladesh defeated fellow ICC associate Scotland, and then pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament against favorite Pakistan. Fans and experts expect that the 10th member of the global club of test-playing nations must prove their worth on the field to justify the honour. Bangladesh's memory of the last ODI match is not delightful one as they swallowed a humiliating 233 runs defeat against Pakistan in the 7th Asia Cup Cricket on their own soil. In October 1998, Bangladesh hosted the first ever "Mini World Cup", a Knockout basis ODI tournament, but failed to play as only the nine test-playing nations were allowed to participate. Prior to the battle against England tomorrow, the test babes practiced well against Kenya beating them by 32 runs but conceded a huge 9-wicket defeat against 1996 world champions Sri Lanka. The only experience of Bangladesh against English side is playing a warm-up match before the last ICC Trophy in Dhaka. Bangladesh: Naimur Rahman, Khaled Masud, Javed Omar, Al Shahriar, Ehsanul Haq, Habibul Bashar, Akram Khan, Aminul Islam, Enamul Haq, Hasibul Hossain, Manjurul Islam, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiq Rahman and Bikas Ranjan Das. England: N Hussain, M Trescothick, A Stewart, A Flintof, G Hick, G Thorp, S White, M Elham, A Giles, A Caddick, D Gough, M Hogart, V Solanki and M Alyeen.
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