Having played three 50-over matches in Bangladesh with an eye on this year’s ODI World Cup, England now play three 20-over matches, also with an eye on this year’s ODI World Cup. Shorter format, similar conditions (indeed, Thursday’s first T20 will be played on the same pitch at Chattogram’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium as that last, lost, low-scoring ODI) and a similar focus.
“It does feel a little bit strange, playing a format that isn’t overly necessary right now,” Chris Woakes said on Tuesday. “Nonetheless, you’re playing for England and you want to win.”
Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said of this series that “you can’t waste these opportunities on the subcontinent and the majority of players are pushing for ODI selection … so it’s probably more geared towards the ODI World Cup.”
They go into it with a slightly changed squad, Jason Roy and James Vince having left the group while Ben Duckett and Chris Jordan have joined, the former jetting in from the Test tour of New Zealand to press his case as a white-ball batter in the subcontinent, one he made so impressively in averaging 46.6, with a strike rate of 158.2, during the T20 series in Pakistan last year.
With Will Jacks back home recovering from a thigh injury the squad is light on batters, all of whom can expect to play every game while the bowlers rotate. Jofra Archer was the only player who missed Tuesday’s training session, having been told to rest after his exertions in Monday’s final ODI. This does not rule him out of the opening match, but does illustrate how cautious England are being about his return from multiple injuries.
Jason Roy posted the highest score in Pakistan Super League history as his stunning 145 not out from 63 balls helped Quetta Gladiators chase down 241 against Peshawar Zalmi.
The 32-year-old [pictured]smashed 20 fours and five sixes on his way to the three-figure score, playing a key role in the fourth biggest successful chase in all T20s and the second highest in domestic T20s.
Peshawar elected to bat after winning the toss and Pakistan’s Babar Azam hit 115 from 65 balls, with healthy contributions from Rovman Powell (35 off 18) and Saim Ayub (74 off 34) helping put 240 on the scoreboard.
But Roy’s intention was clear from the outset as he slapped a four from the very first ball, and the rest of the innings followed suit as the England batter smashed the previous highest score in PSL history of 127, set by Colin Ingram in 2019.
Roy was ever-present for the Gladiators throughout the innings as Martin Guptill (21), Will Smeed (26) and Mohamed Hafeez (41) aided the England international to Quetta’s third victory in the competition, completing a mammoth chase with 10 balls to spare.
For Woakes, this is a last opportunity to hone his skills in these conditions before October’s World Cup, having opted out of the Indian Premier League to return to Warwickshire and push his case for inclusion in England’s red-ball team for the Ashes. “In India you come across a lot of flat pitches,” he said, “but on spinning wickets you have to try different things.
“As bowlers we went to our cutters a lot sooner [in the ODIs] than we would normally. It’s good experience for all of us, even the guys who have played in these conditions before. You can’t get enough of that.”
Woakes missed the entire summer of 2022 because of a knee injury and has not played for the Test side since last March, when he slogged his way through 93.5 overs in three matches in the West Indies, culminating in him sustaining that knee injury. “In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have played the final Test, when I was creaking and my body was sore,” he said, “but when you get the opportunity to play for England you take it.”
He has therefore missed completely the team’s subsequent revolution under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but with the Ashes series starting at Edgbaston, his home ground, before moving on to Lord’s, where in five matches he has taken 27 wickets at an average of 11.33, his focus will soon switch to elbowing his way back into that side.
Bangladesh Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rony Talukdar, Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud.
England Jos Buttler (c, wk), Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
“I would love to be a part of it and I still feel my record in England stands up against anyone’s,” he said. “If I can get myself red-ball fit and firing and bowling well I’d like to think I’d be in the mix. It’s a tough side to get into, I recognise that, and have an opportunity at the start of the season to put in some performances.”
Hence the decision not to add to his three IPL campaigns, having struggled previously to rapidly readapt to home conditions once they end. “Whenever I’ve come back from the IPL before I don’t feel I’ve come back in the best shape going into the Test summer,” Woakes said.
“For me that jump from T20 to Test cricket is quite a big jump and I have found that transition quite hard. It’s different for batsmen. It’s trickier for bowlers and all-rounders to go from tournament to tournament and still play for England.”
