This will be the first time the two sides will face each other in international cricket, giving them an opportunity to get used to the Texas environment.
Mohammad Issam
Bangladesh and USA will face each other in a three-match T20I series starting May 21, giving them a chance to fine-tune their T20 World Cup preparations. This will be the first time that both the teams will play each other in a T20I. Here we will introduce the main topics of this series.
Preparing for the T20 World Cup
Last week, thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds hit Bangladesh in Texas. The weather improved the following day and the first training session was held at the Prairie View Cricket Complex on Sunday. Bangladesh and the USA will have one more practice session before their first match on Tuesday. All three matches of the T20I series will be played at the Grand Prairie venue. It could be good practice for Bangladesh, who begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7. The United States will also play the first two games of the World Cup in Grand Prairie against Canada and Pakistan.
Pay attention to Bangladesh’s batting
Captain Nazimul Hossain Shanto had blamed the Chattogram and Dhaka pitches for his team’s unconvincing batting performance in the home match against Zimbabwe earlier this month. Bangladesh won the series 4-1, with three of the five innings batting first and the highest score being 165. Will the Bangladesh batsman wait to see how things go in Texas or will he switch to T20 mode from the start?
While Soumya Sarkar is recovering from a knee injury, Shanth and Litton Das have not been in top form. Shakib Al Hasan has just returned to the T20I squad after almost a year, which means that Bangladesh’s batsmen are largely relying on Twahid Hridoy and Mahmudullah for now. Moving them up the order could be a way to give them more time in the midfield, but the likes of Shanto, Litton and Sowmya also get some runs to build confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup There is a need.
What does Stuart Law bring?
Bangladesh will be manned by a familiar face in the opposition camp, Stuart Law. The former Australia batsman served as Bangladesh’s head coach in 2012 and most recently as Bangladesh’s U-19 coach. Law, who was named the U.S. head coach last month, brings years of coaching experience.
Lowe’s immediate task will be to help the United States get off to a good start against Bangladesh, their second bilateral series against a full member nation. Law will be familiar with many of the Bangladeshi players, especially the young players who have worked under him recently.
It’s time to fix Bangladesh’s catching
Bangladesh want to improve their catching ahead of the T20 World Cup. According to ESPNcricinfo logs, he dropped eight out of 42 catching chances in this year’s bilateral series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. High catches have come under particular scrutiny after wicketkeepers Litton and Jakar Ali spilled three skiers between them. This year, he’s missed several opportunities at key moments, which has contributed to his slight increase in catches from last year.
A familiar enemy awaits
Bangladesh will play the US for the first time in international cricket on Tuesday, but they are well aware of Corey Anderson, who made his US debut last month. Seven years ago, while playing for New Zealand, Anderson hit 10 sixes in an unbeaten 41-ball 94 against Bangladesh at Mt Maunganui. This is the highest number of sixes in a T20I innings against Bangladesh and the third highest strike rate for a run-knock of 75 or more. He is the destructive Anderson the United States will look to against Bangladesh.
Mohammad Issam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
