Bangladesh can cause England problems

Big Picture

Given England's less-than-stunning one-day international record it is an oddity that they are the only nation not to have come a cropper against Bangladesh in any international fixture. They have been tested on occasions, although each time have managed to overpower their opposition. They will expect to do the same again, but may not find it the easiest of tasks against a side becoming more of a threat on home soil and showing some encouraging signs of development.

Of course that has been said of Bangladesh before only for them to slip back into bad habits and they do need to support the feeling of improvement with some results. A tour of New Zealand and the seamer-friendly conditions on offer there is hardly the ideal preparation, but conditions in Dhaka won't provide any surprises for Shakib Al Hasan's men.

In Shakib, Bangladesh have an outstanding cricketer and one of premier allrounders in the world game. He now carries a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders - as does every player in this country - but unlike the team's previous star name, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib appears to have the mental strength to cope with the demands.

In one-day cricket Bangladesh have enough skill to upset England if the visitors don't hit the ground running and take the contest seriously. With Andy Flower in charge complacency won't be an issue, but this isn't the strongest possible England team and Alastair Cook, the stand-in captain, is under pressure to ensure against any upsets. A defeat in any of the internationals will heap pressure on Andrew Strauss's decision to skip the tour.

England, though, have prepared reasonably well with, as in 2003-04, a focus on fitness along with skills. The two warm-up matches were won with ease as the batsmen, apart from Kevin Pietersen, spent useful time in the middle and the fringe bowlers were given a chance to stake their claim. They should have enough to withstand the Bangladesh challenge, but it isn't the foregone conclusion it has been in the past.