Roy must provide the platform for England to pass trial by spin
Hbangladesh slow bowlers to test opening batsman’s resolve hmorgan’s side looking to add to easy victory over West Indies
After a masterly exhibition of bowling, fielding and captaincy in their opening Twenty20 World Cup game, Jason Roy has chief responsibility for lifting England’s batting to an equal plane in their second match, against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi.
It makes a useful test against spin for England to overcome at this early stage of the tournament. It is an afternoon game, the only daytime one they have, so the opposing spinners will grip the ball more securely than under lights and the influence of dew. Such an exercise will tone England up for the knockout stages when their opponents are likely to be India and/or Pakistan.
It would have been embarrassing if England had lost any more wickets against the West Indies. When chasing a target of 56, a team should be winning by a greater margin than six wickets, as England did after stumbling against the left-arm spin of Akeal Hosein.
Bangladesh will play at least two spinners, probably giving the opening over to Shakib Al Hasan, the left-arm spinner and world-class all-rounder who has a fine record against England in all formats.
Roy has become a far more accomplished batsman against spin but is still happier to start his innings against pace. He has acquired a fine lofted drive over extra cover, though the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is a large venue and, if Bangladesh post a sweeper there in the powerplay, Roy will also have to use softer hands to work the ball into gaps.
However, Mehedi Hasan, Bangladesh’s second spinner, did not turn the ball at all when running through Scotland’s batting in the qualifying round. Hasan took three wickets, none of them with off-breaks, just balls that hurried straight on and pinned batsmen lbw or bowled.
England will have to look to play Hasan in the same way they used to play India’s Anil Kumble, as a slow seamer, and always playing forward, never taking the risk of being pinned on the back foot.
Otherwise it is not asking too much of Eoin Morgan’s team to deliver another overwhelming win.
Bangladesh are as dependent as ever on a few stalwarts, such as Shakib and their middle-order batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who waddled out in pads that looked too big for him at Lord’s to make his Test debut in 2005 when only 17.
Jos Buttler was the only batsman in the whole of England’s opening game to pass 13, and led his team through to victory with his unbeaten 24. He looked seriously short of sleep though, following the birth of his second child.
Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone need to present their credentials against spin after being dismissed cheaply by Hosein. Their physical strength in hitting boundaries will be crucial as this competition advances, especially if the pitches become slower.
Spinners, not only seamers, have been finding that the ball just back of a length is optimal for containment, and only the batsmen with
supreme strength or the fleetest footwork are going to score boundaries. Bairstow and Livingstone have something of the physicality that enabled Afghanistan to hit 11 sixes against Scotland in Sharjah.
Buttler, meanwhile, gave no indication whether England would take a knee before today’s game. They made the gesture prior to the West Indies match, but did so as a mark of respect for their opponents. It is not clear how England will react should Bangladesh decide not to take a knee. England’s preferred gesture has been to wear “Moment of Unity” T-shirts but these are not allowed at the T20 World Cup under International Cricket Council rules.
“Our position is we stand against any form of discrimination,” Buttler said. “What we’d like to do as a team is a ‘Moment of Unity’, which we did at times during our summer. I think we’d have to get some clearance from the ICC for that.”