U-19 Tri Nation Tournament 2013: What England Must Do to Defeat Bangladesh

England suffered defeat in their first two games of the U-19 Tri Nation Tournament, stuttering to a pair of similar losses.

In both matches the host nation fielded first and struggled to chase down scores above the 280 mark, falling around 40 runs short on each occasion.

With the first meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan rained off, England are already adrift at the bottom of the table.

Both visiting teams face each other twice before England play again, meaning Ben Duckett's side may need to win at least three of their remaining four games to reach the final.

Their next chance to get points on the board is against Bangladesh and here's a look at the key areas for the home side to improve.

Make Better Use of the New Ball

England have struggled for wickets so far, taking just nine, but it's crucial to make an early impression with the new ball.

Jack Winslade, Josh Shaw and Tom Barber have shared that responsibility thus far, but are yet to take a wicket in the opening 10 overs, providing the opposition with the perfect platform to attack.

Pakistan reached 191-1, while Bangladesh were a similarly imposing 226-2, and with such fine starts it's far easier to post a testing score towards 300.

England must make their opening spell against Bangladesh as hostile as possible. If the wickets don't come, the visitors must be made to work for their runs.

Be Flexible With the Batting Order

England may need to adjust their batting lineup, as their top order have left them with too much to do in both games so far.

Ryan Higgins, Lewis McManus and Haseeb Hameed have eaten up far too many deliveries when chasing such hefty totals.

The top three have amassed 157 runs so far, but taken 240 balls to do so, giving them a combined strike rate of around 65, which is simply not good enough for modern, limited overs cricket.

In comparison, Will Rhodes—who has impressed batting at No. 6—has made his 134 runs from just 106 deliveries.

England's slow starts have hampered them and if the top order can't accelerate their innings, perhaps it's time to promote Rhodes. 

Target Mosaddek Hossain

Bangladesh's opening victory against England was almost single-handedly achieved by Mosaddek Hossain.

First up, the 17-year-old made a superb century batting at No. 4, finishing undefeated on 110 from just 113 balls.

Later on, just as England were beginning to accelerate in their reply, he popped up with three wickets to all but kill off the game.

Pakistan managed to run him out in the first match and the hosts will need to find a similar way of reducing his impact early on in this contest.