England vs. Bangladesh: SWOT analysis of English and Bangladeshi batsmen – ICC World Cup 2011
Cricket is a game of runs. A team’s success or failure is dependent on runs. The batsman is called the run making machine of a team. The stronger the batting order, the more the runs will be. Keeping a keen eye on the ball, determining the shot points, hitting
to the right direction, playing according to the demanding situation and entertaining the spectators with sizzling boundaries are the characteristics that make a good batsman.
As http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 and Bangladesh are set to play their group match today in Chittagong, the batsmen of both the teams will have a lot say in the game. The dry and slow pitches of the Subcontinent are proving to be batting friendly, as the ICC World Cup 2011 is
seeing some big scores being piled up.
The following is the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats or SWOT analysis of the top batsmen for England and Bangladesh:
England’s batting order includes Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood.
Strauss is the skipper and opening left-hand batsman. In the four matches of the tournament that England has played so far, Strauss scored 88 off 83 balls against Netherlands, 158 off 145 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ireland-c751 and was bowled out
for zero against South Africa.
Strauss plays a very responsible and meticulous innings with an eye on a big score. His strength lies in his ability to confidently play the fast and medium-fast deliveries. If he succeeds in scoring 40 runs, he goes on to build a long innings out of pressure.
Strauss’ weak point is the spinners, whom he cannot play with a free hand. It is evident from his meager batting performance against left-arm spinners http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, Strauss will
have the opportunity of facing medium pacers, as the team does not have a quality spinner except for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Ashraful-c76740, who is basically an all-rounder. A big threat to Strauss will be the absence of opening partner Kevin Pietersen.
Trott is a one-down right-hand batsman. He looks confident and the passion in his batting is evident from three of his four tournament innings, as he scored 62 off 65 balls against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753, 92 off 92 balls against Ireland, 52 off 94 deliveries against
South Africa.
Like Strauss, Trott also feels more comfortable with medium-pacers. This is clear, as he failed against spinners http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Piyush-c82317 Chawla, on low scores. Moreover, he plays more confidently against minnows that have lenient fielding. Trott had difficulties
playing a long innings against India and South Africa. His only weak point is the delivery that comes to the middle of his bat, as it either slips to the wickets or touches his pads. Trott’s opportunity against Bangladesh is to play the medium pacers. The
biggest threat for Trott will come from him playing as the opener in the absence of Pietersen, as it is unclear of his aptitude at this position.
The right-handed batsman Bell is at the climax of form and spirit. In his four innings of the tournament, he has displayed a marvelous performance, scoring 33 off 40 balls against Netherlands, 69 off 71 against India, 81 off 86 against Ireland, but could
score only 5 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757. He leads the middle-order of the English batting, as his form and consistency are his strengths. Bell’s only weak point is the swinging middle-fast delivery that he hits into the hands of the fielder, as he is often caught
at leg side or first slip. Playing against Bangladesh, his opportunity will stem from Strauss and Trott’s good partnership that will allow him to play freely and smash a big score. Bangladesh’s quality medium pacers will possibly pose a threat to Bell.
The other key middle-order right-hand batsman is Collingwood. He looks to be out of form in this tournament, as in his three innings, he could not cross 30 runs. However, he is a reliable back-up to compensate if the opening-order fails. Collingwood is likely
to pile up a big score if he survives the spinners, but if he plays under pressure, he will not be able to do well.
Bangladesh’s batting department relies on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hasan-c61990.
All four are good batsmen, but they are out of form in this tournament. Except for their first match against India as Iqbal scored 70, Kayes 34, Siddique 37 and Shakib 55. The strength of the Bangladeshi batsmen comes in force when they play out of pressure,
especially from their own people, as the home grounds do not suit them. They seem to feel more comfortable playing at venues outside the country. Bangladesh’s batting suffers from a lack of confidence, as their players are young and inexperienced. They often
succumb to pressure, lose their concentration and give away their wickets early. Another weakness is the absence of proper training, as they have talent but are unaware how to channel it.
Bangladesh’s batting has no real opportunity to thrive against England, as they are badly shell-shocked by their crushing defeat to the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760. Being out of the wits, they cannot muster up the strength and use it in the field. The colossal threat for
the Bangladeshi batsmen will be to face the angry home crowd and to play with some confidence. The fans are very angry and disappointed by their team’s shoddy play in the last game. This time the home crowd will expect more from the team and compensate the
previous loss with a marvelous performance.
The match is going to be highly significant for both the teams, as England is vying to qualify for the quarter-finals while Bangladesh need a victory to save some ‘face’ and make a presence in the tournament to avoid being knocked out.
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