Australia v Bangladesh ODI test of Michael Clarke's captaincy
Michael Clarke’s reign as new Aussie skipper is about to begin as Australia go up against Bangladesh at Dhaka in the first match of their three match One Day International (ODI) series.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, also known as “Clarkey”, was assigned as the skipper after Ricky Ponting stepped down from his post. This will be Clarke’s first tour as an official and first choice captain. He has led the side previously, as a replacement captain, in 24 matches
out of which Aussies won 18 but it was on an interim basis.
Clarkey will be hoping to start with a win and his side are favourites to emerge victorious in the three match series. Aussies are the number one ranked team in ODIs while their opponents http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 are ranked ninth.
The 30-year old cricketer asserts that his side will not take their opposition lightly so the Bengal Tigers can expect the Kangaroos to be at full strength. Clarke is fully aware that their opposition’s strength is in their spin bowling and that’s the reason
why he expects slow and turning tracks during the tour.
The skipper said, “I'd imagine they'll prepare pretty slow, turning wickets and they've got some very good spinners, especially left-arm orthodox spinners which, with a lot of right handed batters in our line-up, are going to be quite tough. But it's going
to be a good challenge and we're looking forward to it”.
Bengal Tigers are considered the underdogs despite playing on home soil. However, their chances of causing an upset have increased as their ace fast bowler, Mashrafe Mortaza, has been declared fit to play and will feature in this game.
Bangladeshi skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, affirmed the news as he concludes,
“Mortaza decided he'll be staying with the team and he'll be part of this series”.
A sunny day is expected so rain will not be much of an issue. However, it will be hard for fast bowlers as summer is just around the corner.
Team form
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 have been unbeatable for nearly a decade but their recent performance in the 2011 World Cup has raised a few question about their team combination. Their decade old undefeated streak in World Cups was broken as they suffered back-to-back defeats
at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. From their last five fixtures they have won three.
Bangladeshi fans were disappointed by their team’s dismal performance in the recent ICC tournament and they’ll be hoping that their team plays well against the number one team in ODIs. Bangladesh has won three of their last five fixtures.
Key Players
Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 and Brad Haddin were Aussies finest batsmen during ICC’s signature tournament and they’ll be hoping to continue the good work. Clarke will be looking to lead the side from the front by scoring big.
Shakib Al http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tamim-Iqbal-c2640’s opening stand will be crucial for their hosts.
Australia (possible XI)
1. Shane Watson, 2. Brad Haddin (wk), 3. Ricky Ponting, 4. Michael Clarke (captain), 5. Cameron White, 6. Michael Hussey, 7. Steve Smith, 8. Mitchell Johnson, 9. John Hastings, 10. Brett Lee, 11. Xavier Doherty
Bangladesh (possible XI)
1. Tamim Iqbal, 2. Imrul Kayes, 3. Alok Kapali, 4. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rubel-Hossain-c2378
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