Rocked by injuries and a string of defeats, Bangladesh will be searching for some belief when they meet England today in the second one-day international (ODI) in Bristol.
Since the start of this year, Bangladesh have lost all their 24 matches on the international stage in the three formats of the game: seven Tests, 14 ODIs and three Twenty20s.
Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, admits these results have harmed the team's morale and he is hoping for a change of fortune against a team they have never beaten in 12 previous ODIs.
"I think we need some belief, definitely," Mortaza was quoted as saying on Cricinfo. "Hopefully, we will find it next game.
"It's very difficult to beat a team like England in England. They beat Australia and they are in really good form. Also, we have lost two key players in the side, so it's not easy.
"Hopefully, the boys that are experienced will show some good batting. But the team is definitely under pressure now. We have lost 20 games in a row, and as a captain I have to lift the other 14 guys."
Bangladesh will go into the game without Mushfiqur Rahim, their first-choice wicketkeeper, and Raqibul Hasan, their top scorer in the first game, which the hosts won by six wickets.
Rahim was struck in the face while standing up to Faisal Hossain, the left-arm spinner, and he has been ruled out for one week. Raibul will be out of action for two weeks after being struck on the toe by James Anderson during his knock of 76.
Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, the all-rounder, and Sahgir Hossain, the wicketkeeper, are being flown in from Bangladesh as replacements.
England have few such worries, with confidence high in the camp since the World T20 triumph. They beat Australia 3-2 in their ODI series and even reserves such as Ian Bell have come in and thrived.
"I think from the Tests through to T20s, there's a real confidence about the side, and a lot of it overlaps so you feed off it," said Bell, who scored an unbeaten 84 in the first match after coming in for his first ODI since 2008 as Kevin Pietersen's replacement.
"Coming into this squad and being around for the Australia series was fantastic. It was very easy to slot in because of the confidence that everyone has.
"It felt as normal as it did to go into the Test matches, and I think it's spreading over all forms of the game."
There have been concerns about Anderson's form, but Andrew Strauss, the England captain, dismissed them yesterday.
Anderson has gone for more than 60 runs in four of his last five one- day outings, with figures of three for 74 in the last game, but Strauss is satisfied with the pacer's performance.
"I think it's probably best to separate his bowling spells a little bit because in the middle stages and at the back end he's been exceptional throughout the recent series," Strauss was quoted as saying by the Press Association yesterday.
"At the top of the innings he's occasionally been a bit expensive and that's an area we will hopefully work with him on. But I'm very happy with the skills he's got. He's able to adapt very quickly and he has a lot of different ways of bowling which, as a captain, is a great thing to have."
* Compiled by Ahmed Rizvi
Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.