[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

May

Warm-Up Matches

Friday 26th: Australia vs Sri Lanka - Australia win by 2 wickets
Saturday 27th: Bangladesh vs Pakistan - Pakistan win by 2 wickets
Sunday 28th: India vs New Zealand - India win by 45 runs (D/L)
Monday 29th: Australia vs Pakistan - no result
Tuesday 30th: India vs Bangladesh - India win by 240 runs
Tuesday 30th: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - New Zealand win by 3 wickets


June

Group Stage

Thursday 1st: Group A - England vs Bangladesh - England win by 8 wickets
Friday 2nd: Group A - New Zealand vs Australia - abandoned
Saturday 3rd: Group B - Sri Lanka vs South Africa - South Africa win by 96 runs
Sunday 4th: Group B - India vs Pakistan - India win by 124 runs (D/L)
Monday 5th: Group A - Australia vs Bangladesh - abandoned
Tuesday 6th: Group A - England vs New Zealand - England win by 87 runs
Wednesday 7th: Group B - Pakistan vs South Africa - Pakistan win by 19 runs (D/L)
Thursday 8th: Group B - India vs Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka win by 7 wickets
Friday 9th: Group A - New Zealand vs Bangladesh - Bangladesh win by 5 wickets
Saturday 10th: Group A - England vs Australia - England win by 40 runs (D/L)
Sunday 11th: Group B - India vs South Africa - India win by 8 wickets
Monday 12th: Group B - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan - Pakistan win by 3 wickets


Knockout Stage

Wednesday 14th: England vs Pakistan - Pakistan win by 8 wickets
Thursday 15th: Bangladesh vs India - India win by 9 wickets

Sunday 18th: Pakistan vs India - Pakistan win by 180 runs

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, Ska'd

I like this competition, mainly because it doesn't go on too long like the World Cup does. It's all over in just over a fortnight.
When it first started it was even shorter, being a straight knock out competition, but I think they decided it was a bit daft gathering all the world's top teams together in one country only for half of them just to play one match.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Yeah, hopefully should be an enjoyable competition, plenty of evenly-matched teams. Fingers crossed the weather will hold like it has been this week.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Group A

England vs Bangladesh

The Oval, London

ENGLAND squad: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jake Ball, Sam Billings (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan (capt), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

BANGLADESH squad: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Murtaza (capt), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Sunzamul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam


The Champions Trophy commences on Thursday with the hosts taking on the most-improved ODI side in the world - and the team responsible for their last World Cup exit - at The Oval.

In spite of a game to forget against South Africa on Monday, England remain much-fancied in this tournament, and have a real opportunity to win their first global fifty-over trophy.  After missing several key players at Lord's, the home side will have Ben Stokes back (though it's unlikely he'll bowl a full ten overs), as well as Chris Woakes.  In spite of a string of poor performances, Jason Roy also looks set to continue opening the batting.

Over the last two years Bangladesh have notched up more ODI wins than India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  Like England, they also suffered a horrendous collapse in their last match, being bowled out for 84 by India on Tuesday.  They're likely to open with Iqbal and Sarkar, with a deep batting line-up further augmented by Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.  With the ball, a lot will hinge on star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and the supremely talented young left-arm pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

Bangladesh's record ODI score is 329, set against Pakistan in Dhaka two years ago.  Their highest successful chase was 322 in a six-wicket win over Scotland in the 2015 World Cup.  Against England their best showing so far is 288 all out in last autumn's defeat at Dhaka, while on English soil they've yet to better the 250 they scored at Trent Bridge in July 2010.  Tamim Iqbal still holds the dual distinction of being their highest run-scorer in any ODI innings, with 154 against Zimbabwe in 2009, and their highest in an ODI against England, with 125 in 2010.  On British soil no one has yet bettered Mohammed Ashraful's century at Cardiff in 2005.

While the Oval has in the past offered plenty for batting sides, recent one-dayers there have tended to favour bowlers, and scores have been relatively low.  The weather forecast suggests a sunny morning will give way to a cloudier afternoon, but there's little chance of rain, so hopefully we can look forward to a full fifty overs per side and an England victory at the end of it.

Play commences at 1030, 1st June 2017

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England win the toss and put Bangladesh in to bat. Deirdre dropped as the hosts go with four seamers plus Stokes. The visitors have named no less than eight recognised batsmen in their XI, but leave out Mehedi Hasan who was a prime wicket-taker against England in the autumn.

ENGLAND team: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball, Mark Wood

BANGLADESH team: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Mahmadullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

First wicket down! Sarkar the man to go. The Bangladesh openers were going well, even if they rode their luck once or twice, but Sarkar floated an easy one up to sub Bairstow at deep cover to give England the wicket they needed.

Imrul Kayes now at the crease, Bangladesh 78-1 after fifteen overs. Going to be plenty of runs in this one by the look of it.

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Second wicket down! Stonking catch from Mark Wood at mid-on, sprinting and then diving full-length to take Kayes for 19 off a Plunkett delivery.

Mushfiqur Rahim now out in the middle, and Tamim Iqbal still at the crease having just made his half-century. Bangladesh 108-2 after twenty-two overs.

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Having gone off earlier in the match, it's now confirmed that Chris Woakes is suffering a side strain. May well be out for the tournament.

[Lord Snooty]

Looks like the Banga boys are going well.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

It's all looking a trifle ominous. Tamim Iqbal now has a ton and Mushfiqur Rahim a half-century; their previous best scores against England are 125 and 89 respectively. The pair of them have just set a new record third-wicket partnership for Bangladesh against England, too.

With eight wickets still in hand they'll be looking for 350+ here. 223-2 after forty overs.

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And this is now Tamim Iqbal's best-ever innings against England. If he makes it to 155 it'll be the highest score of a Bangladeshi batsman in any ODI, beating his own record.

Furthermore, Bangladesh have never lost an ODI in which Tamim has hit a six. So far he's smashed three of the f**kers.

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Can we just take a moment to applaud whichever genius decided to drop Rashid in favour of Jake "have yourself a boundary" Ball today?

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At last, third wicket down. Tamim Iqbal goes for 128, caught by Buttler after skying one from Plunkett. Receives a standing ovation and thoroughly deserves it. Shakib Al Hasan the new man at the crease.

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Fourth wicket down! Two in two balls! Mushfiqur holes out to Hales (that's got a ring to it). Sabbir Rahman in, and Bangladesh are suddenly facing the last five overs with two new batsmen. Ray of light for England.

Bangladesh 262-4 after forty-five.

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Fifth wicket down! Shakib lobs an easy one up to Stokes at long-on. Mahmadullah the new man in. Bangladesh 287-5, twelve balls remaining.

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Sixth wicket down! Sabbir caught on the long-on boundary by Jason Roy. 300-6, five balls remaining, Mosaddek at the crease.

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Bangladesh finish 305-6, their highest-ever score in an ODI against England. All the same, the hosts did well to rein the Tigers in at the death, and on a good batting pitch they should back themselves to chase this down.

[themaclad]

Good to see our IPL bowlers do not seem to be fit

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Jason Roy's stellar 2017 continues unabated. Gone for 1, Rahman plucks a dinked scoop shot out of the air.

England 6-1 in the third over. Joe Root in. Work to do.