Bangladesh was undefeated in ODI series at home for seven consecutive years. The Tigers’ record was broken by the world champion England. However, the Red Green representatives are very confident in the T20 series as they won the third ODI match of the series.

The first T20 match of the three-match series between Bangladesh and England will start today (March 9) at three o’clock in the afternoon at Zahoor Ahmed Chodhuri Stadium in Chittagong. Will Bangladesh be able to challenge the Englishmen by maintaining dominance in the T20?

The most significant aspect in the Bangladesh camp is Shakib Al Hasan’s return to form. In the last match of the ODI series, the world’s best all-rounder shook the English in both the bat and ball categories. Along with that, Shakib is also leading the T20. As a result, his performance could be a cause for concern for England as they look to go one step further in the series.

Mostafizur Rahman, the left-arm pacer for Bangladesh, is out of form in bowling. In T20, much depends on his fitness, but he has not been able to reach his top form in recent times. However, England’s batsmen could not fully adapt to this slower pitch. David Malan, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler have performed a bit with the bat in the ODI series, but the team is yet to come together on this tour.

However, Bangladesh is far behind in this short format of twenty overs. Shakib’s team is at number 9 in the ICC T20 rankings. Not only that, Bangladesh is comparatively very weak in this format. But several who shined in the recently concluded BPL have been called up in the squad for this series. As a result, Bangladesh T20 team has got a new look.

Young cricketers like Touhid Hriday, Tanveer Islam or Rezaur Rahman Raja can make their debut in this series. Along with that, opener Rony Talukder has returned to the national team after 8 long years. Apart from this, youngsters like Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Shamim Hossain Patwari also got some experience of playing after their debut.

Panch Pandav is the only one in this T20 team. Shakib Al Hasan Mashrafe, Tamim, Mushfiq retired from this format. Even if Mahmudullah does not announce his retirement, it is unlikely that he will get another chance in 20-over international cricket.

Because of that, the T20 format is now completely youth oriented. Apart from Shakib Al Hasan, only Liton Das, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mostafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are among the seniors in this team. Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Afif Hossain Dhrub have good experience even though they are not seniors.

Out of the four young cricketers in the team, the one whose name will be in the eleven today, will have unlimited opportunities to match himself. It remains to be seen whether the new look the team gets with their inclusion in the squad ultimately shines or fades into obscurity.

Bangladesh Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shamim Hossain Patwari, Afif Hossain Dhrub, Nurul Hasan Sohan (wicketkeeper), Mehdi Hasan Miraj, Nasum Ahmed, Mostafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Rony Talukder, Touhid Hriday , Tanveer Islam and Rezaur Rahman Raja.

England Squad: Jos Buttler (captain-wicketkeeper), Phil Salt, David Malan, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Sam Karan, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Rehan Ahmed and Chris Jordan.