Preview: England Under 19s v Bangladesh Under 19s

Both teams are still ruing their 2018 ICC U19 CWC quarter-final exit but Bangladesh U19s have a chance to claw back the bragging rights after their Group C defeat to England U19s earlier in the tournament.

Form guide

England recorded comprehensive wins in each of their three group games. Their batsmen have impressed – Liam Banks, Harry Brook and Will Jacks have all scored hundreds – while their bowling battery has proved potent and versatile.

England came crashing back down to earth in the quarter-final clash against Australia in Queenstown, when leg-spinner Lloyd Pope took 8/35 to dismiss England for 96, who had been 47/0 and 71/3 chasing just 128 for victory. It was the standout individual bowling performance of the tournament, but Jason Sangha’s sensational slip catching also deserved a slice of the credit.

Bangladesh comfortably swept aside Namibia Under 19s and Canada Under 19s in their first two Group C matches, before England coasted to a seven-wicket victory owed largely to their captain, Brook, and his unbroken 128-run stand with Euan Woods (48 off 57). Bangladesh were then comfortably defeated by India in the quarter-final.

Players to watch

Harry Brook

Skipper Harry Brook scored a brilliant 102 not out from just 84 deliveries against Bangladesh in the group phase, and having taken a liking to the Bangladesh bowlers then, he’ll enter this one full of confidence. The Yorkshire batting all-rounder has five first-class appearances to his name and is considered a hot prospect.

Qazi Onik

The opening bowler has seven wickets in this tournament at an average of 17.14, including 3/48 against India. The Dhaka-born left-arm medium-fast bowler took a four-wicket-haul on debut for Chittagong Vikings versus Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League in November last year, and Bangladesh will be hoping Qazi can unsettle a strong England batting line-up.

World Cup history

England are one of six teams to have appeared at every ICC U19 CWC. They won the first ‘rebooted’ ICC tournament in 1998 – Graeme Swann among a squad containing five future internationals – but they haven’t made the final since. They’ve become the nearly men, falling four times at the semi-final stage.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, are making their 11th appearance at the ICC U19 CWC, 20 years after making their debut in South Africa. Enamul Haque holds the tournament record for the most wickets in a single edition of the competition, having taken 22 wickets on home soil in 2004, while Anamul Haque (365) and Shadman Islam (406) finished as top run-scorer in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Bangladesh’s best result of third place was achieved in the 2016 edition on home soil.

Head to head

England and Bangladesh have met 30 times since their first meeting at the 1998 ICC U19 CWC, clashing in several bilateral tours between them. Bangladesh have fared a lot better than England, emerging victorious in 18 matches to England’s 10.

Forecast

The sun is expected to shine on Queenstown on Sunday morning with scattered showers expected in the afternoon.

Squads

Bangladesh: Saif Hassan (cap), Afif Hossain, Aminul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mohammad Naim, Mohammad Rakib, Nayeem Hasan, Pinak Ghosh, Qazi Onik, Robiul Hoque, Roni Hossen, Shakil Hossain, Tipu Sultan, Towhid Hridoy.

England: Harry Brooks (cap), Ethan Bamber, Liam Banks, Tom Banton, Jack Davies, Adam Finch, Luke Hollman, Will Jacks, Dillon Pennington, Savin Perera, Tom Scriven, Prem Sisodiya, Fin Trenouth, Roman Walker, Euan Woods.