England’s Bangladesh trip is bizarrely timed and packed with personal peril

T here may be something faintly ridiculous, comical even, about England commencing a series in Bangladesh within hours of completing one in New Zealand, but there is no lack of seriousness about the task facing them on their first visit here for seven years, nor about the group of players they have assembled for it.

This trip had originally been planned for the autumn of 2021, but was rescheduled for a variety of reasons, not least a chronic case of bubble fatigue. So what was intended to be last-minute preparation for a World Cup in one format has become long-distance preparation for another in another: after three ODIs followed by as many T20s here England’s white-ball side will pack away their pyjamas until September, when New Zealand and Ireland visit in the weeks before they defend their 50-over title in India.

Bangladesh’s recent home record in both formats is excellent – since late 2018 they have won 81% of their home ODIs (compared with 48% on their travels), and 58% of their home T20s (compared with 26% away). India, Australia and New Zealand have all lost series here in the last two years, with a few particularly eye-catching scores along the way: in T20s the Kiwis were bowled out for 60 and 93 and Australia for 62, with Matthew Wade bemoaning “the most challenging international pitches I’ve ever played on”.

With an Indian autumn on the horizon this might be handy experience, and England’s last 12 months in white-ball cricket, when they followed a disappointing home summer by winning the T20 World Cup, will ensure that even a run of poor results does not provoke a sense of wild panic (though given the horn-blaring chaos of Dhaka’s streets the drives to the ground just might).

But if those memories provide