First ODI Betting: Bangladesh v England

ODI preview / Ed Hawkins / 27 February 2010 / Leave a Comment

Watch Shakib al Hasan shine for Bangladesh

"There have been eight centuries scored in the last 10 on this ground. Backing 82.5 runs or more for highest individual score is a potential wager."

Bangladesh have beaten all of the top eight sides in the world, apart from England. Will that change in Dhaka on Sunday? Ed Hawkins has all the news, views, stats and trends

Team news
It is not quite second string for England but with Andrew Strauss and an injured James Anderson at home with their feet up it is possible that the rested duo could be forced to sit bolt upright at some stage due to a nasty shock.

Alastair Cook will lead. A decision which exposed England's woolly thinking. Not only should Strauss be in Dhaka to learn about skippering on the sub-continent, but Cook is not even worth his place in the 50-over team. Watch Craig Kieswetter, who is set to make his debut as opener and wicketkeeper, make his captain look ponderous.

Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire bowler, and James Tredwell, the Kent spinner, are both in the mix for debuts after impressing in warm-ups. Stuart Broad has not played in either of England's two wins on tour.

Bangladesh have dropped Mohammad Ashraful after a run of only two 50s in his last 16 innings. They don't need him. Tamim Iqbal, 20, and Imrul Kayes, three years older, form a youthful and vibrant opening partnership. The return to fitness of paceman Mashrafe Mortaza is a huge boost while Shakib al Hasan, the skipper, is the glue which holds everything together. His all-round skills will bring a smile to the face, especially when you realise he is just 22.

Pitch conditions
An average first-innings score of just 237 in the last 10 suggests the Shere Bangla National stadium in Dhaka is the sort of sticky wicket which England struggle to free themselves on. However, there is a heavy bias in favour of the sides batting second so surely it can't be that slow. From 33 results, 23 have been won by the side batting second.

Match odds
Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies have all lost to Bangladesh in 50-over cricket. England's scalp has evaded the hosts. For that to change in game one, some of England's idiosyncrasies in this format need to resurface: a slow start on foreign soil, an inability to manoeuvre the spinners in the middle order and a lack of invention with the ball on slow, low surfaces.

Of course Bangladesh need to be absolutely at the top of their game. Altogether it is a [5.50] shot and although the hosts are capable of producing something utterly forgettable, we should not fear backing them in-running. They will quickly disappear out of sight if things go awry early on but they have the potential to pull back.

Shakib, rated as the third best one-day bowler in the world, could tie England, who are [1.20] in knots along with slow left armer Abdur Razzak while Mortaza's mortars at the death could derail them totally. These three make up Bangladesh's entrants in the top 30 of the ICC rankings. England have the same number and two of them, Anderson and Andrew Flintoff aren't involved.

Top batsman
There should be much excitement at the prospect of a wager on these markets. For England, Kieswetter will be well backed at [5.00] while Shakib will be supported at [5.50] for Bangladesh.

Kieswetter, who has smashed a ton on tour already, has the ability to blitz the Bangladesh bowlers in the powerplay overs and it is possible that he could go odds on within the first 20 minutes.

Shakib has top-scored three times on his last six visits to this ground. The threat is [4.80] Iqbal, who has not been out of the top three of highest runscorer lists in Bangladesh's last four one-day series.

Featured market
There have been eight centuries scored in the last 10 on this ground. Backing 82.5 runs or more for highest individual score is a potential wager.