Published 22:00 IST, February 26th 2023
'Conditions in Bangladesh are closest to play India': England's ODI skipper Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is excited to face Bangladesh as the England skipper feels the subcontinent condition will help them to prepare for the upcoming World Cup
Jos Buttler is excited to face Bangladesh as the England skipper feels the subcontinent condition will help them to prepare for the upcoming World Cup scheduled in India in 2023. The Three Lions will play a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series against the Bangladesh side. The visitors will be desperate for a good show on the slow tracks to be offered in the country.
Conditions in Bangladesh are closest to play India: Jos Buttler
Added to their current ICC Cricket World Cup crown, England is also the current holder of the ICC T20 World Cup. With the World Cup in the offing this year, the Buttler-led side will try to hone their skills in a bid to defend their title. Buttler insisted the conditions on offer would be similar to the Indian conditions and thus it would be the perfect platform for them.
"These are the conditions that will probably be the closest that we can get to playing in India. We only have these matches, and then we don't play again until September just before the World Cup, so it's a great challenge for us and we're excited for the series."
Buttler also revealed the upcoming series will be a big challenge as Bangladesh poses a great threat on their home soil. "It'll be a great challenge for us.
"Obviously Bangladesh are very tough to beat in their home conditions, they beat India as well. So this is exactly the kind of challenge we need, nearing the World Cup, to test ourselves in probably the conditions that we as a side will find the hardest. This can be a great measure of where we are as a team," he said, adding that "We're expecting a slow and low wicket, which is exactly what we want, to test ourselves in tough conditions which will be great preparation for us moving forward."
"Generally the wicket will be slower, but guys like Jofra and Mark Wood have fantastic airspeed, so someone who can bowl with such pace on these wickets is still a handful. It's not always to the benefit of the batsman. We have a nice variety in the squad. Right-arm, left-arm, high pace, guys who can swing it … we have a nice balanced attack," Buttler said.
Updated 22:00 IST, February 26th 2023