Online Desk: England won the toss and elected to bowl against Bangladesh in the third T20I of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today. Bangladesh will be eyeing their first-ever series sweep of England after already making history by registering their maiden series win over England as they beat the visitors by six wickets and four wickets in the first two T20Is, respectively.

Jos Buttler’s side, meanwhile, will be determined to avoid a whitewash, especially considering the reigning ODI and T20I champions had lost only one of 10 games in the shortest format before winning the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. But now the visitors are desperate to clinch a win in the third game. If they fail to do so, it will be the first time they have been whitewashed since they lost 3-0 to Australia in 2014.

Bangladesh, however, handed England an unwanted record as the Shakib Al Hasan-led side became the only team ever to have beaten a reigning world champion in their first assignment of that particular format since the World Cup. Since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2007, eight installments of the T20 World Cup have witnessed six nations who went on to taste glory; with England (2010, 2022) and the West Indies (2012, 2016) winning it twice, while India (2007), Pakistan (2009), Sri Lanka (2014), Australia (2021) winning it once.

None of the World Cup-winning sides ever lost their first assignment in that particular format. Since lifting the T20 World Cup in Australia in November 2022, this was England’s first T20I series. England, however, played six ODIs, and five Tests before their tour to Bangladesh earlier this month.

Teams:

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer