World Cup 2019, Match 12, England vs Bangladesh Match Prediction: Who will win today's match?
Hosts England take on Bangladesh for match 12 of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at the Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on June 8th at 3:00 pm IST.
Both the sides need this win desperately having lost their previous games to Pakistan and New Zealand respectively after having beaten South Africa in their opening fixtures.
England were taken off guard by a resurgent Pakistan side and despite a brilliant rearguard fightback from Joe Root and Jos Buttler, they were unable to chase down the target of 349.
Bangladesh bowled pretty well to the Black Caps who made a mess of their small target of 245 but their batting lacked bite at the top and they need to do more than rely on Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib to do most of the scoring.
With an overcast, inclement Cardiff welcoming them on Saturday, let's take a look at who has the edge ahead of this match.
If England bat first
England will have to do better than what they did the last match if they went to get a winning score on a tacky wicket which will await the players at the Sophia Gardens. With the weather favouring the spinners, they need to handle the Bangladesh spinners who have done a good job with the new ball.
A score of 290-310 can be expected from their batsmen, a score which their bowlers can defend with ease.
If Bangladesh bat first
Bangladesh struggled to get runs at the top and after the fall of Shakib Al Hasan and their openers, especially Tamim Iqbal have to come to the party. They do need to play attacking cricket against the England pacers who have been vulnerable to a counter-attack from the openers.
On a pretty average surface combined with rather moody weather, a score of 270-290 can be expected from Bangladesh and they can defend it if they bowl with a plan.
Who will win?
With both sides looking for a 2nd win of their campaign, they will be desperate to perform well in this fixture. England are clearly a stronger side and can be backed to deliver a stunning performance to convincingly beat Bangladesh in this fixture.
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