Full circle for Tigers and Lions

There will not be much of a difference between the two teams when Bangladesh and hosts England lift the curtain of the Champions Trophy's eighth edition at The Oval today.

Both the teams will go into the game that starts at 10:30am (3:30pm Bangladesh time) with the pronounced intention of proving that their last outing was a freak event rather than an example of their true capabilities. England lost six wickets for 20 runs, the lowest point in their ODI history, in their last one-day game against South Africa at Lord's on Monday. A day later Bangladesh collapsed to 22 for six against India at The Oval and suffered a massive 240-run defeat. The only difference was that Bangladesh's was a practice game.

England have never won the Champions Trophy, the otherwise generous ICC flagship event that has produced six different winners in seven editions, despite the fact that they made it to three previous finals, all on home soil.

MASHRAFE BIN MORTAZA

Bangladesh were not even a part of the tournament when it was first introduced and was played on their home soil in 1998 -- a time when they were not a Full Member of the ICC. They however played on four previous occasions but this edition will be the first time they will participate in their own right in what evolved into an eight-team event and at the expense of former champions West Indies, who are now ranked ninth in ICC ODI rankings.

England, a team now transformed into an aggressive unit from a conventional one ever since their shock defeat against Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup, are tipped as favourites to end a trophy draught this time around.

Bangladesh are certainly not a team quite capable of going all the way. But, like England, they too are a completely different side since that famous victory at Adelaide against the inventors of the game. Freedom of expression and positive intent made both Bangladesh and England successful not only at home but also away. Over the last two years England have blown away any touring side, including bitter rivals Australia, with spectacularly attacking cricket. They were tantalisingly close to winning the T20 World Cup in India last year, only to be denied by a breathtaking Carlos Brathwaite assault in the final.

Bangladesh's progress over the last two years was more spectacular for a team better known as whipping boys in international cricket. They made it to the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal and followed that up with extreme home dominance in the limited-overs format -- winning maiden home series against Pakistan, India and South Africa. They made it to the Asia Cup T20 final before losing against India. They were about to pull off the biggest upset in the World Twenty20 in India last year when they were within two runs of a win against the home side, only to be denied by a Mushfiqur-Mahmudullah brain-freeze. Bangladesh's home sires against England last year is one to be remembered for a long time, not only because they won the second Test, but for the fierce competition they provided. The Tigers also had a memorable tour of Sri Lanka after a forgettable yet promising away trip to New Zealand.

They beat New Zealand in the Ireland tri-series before flying to England. Their first experience at the Oval on Monday was bitter. But if you want to look back at the road that Bangladesh have travelled over the last two years, during which the New Zealand victory is the latest of many firsts they have achieved, you can dream of something big.

The England game will give Bangladesh an indication of where they would be heading in a tournament where they have won only one of their previous seven games.

The battle line has already been drawn with England confirming that both Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will be available for the opener despite injury scares. Eoin Morgan will lead the team for the first time against Bangladesh after that 2015 World Cup defeat. The left-hander decided against touring Bangladesh over security concerns last year.

Mashrafe will return along with in-from opener Tamim Iqbal after missing the last practice game against India. Experienced pace bowler Rubel Hossain is also set to make his return to the big occasion at the expense of a wayward Taskin and young off-spinner Mehedi Hasan looks a likely bet to make his big tournament debut against a battery of England left-handers in the line-up.

And when the game starts expectedly under glorious sunshine, Bangladesh's Tigers will want their champion all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to come out of his rut against England's Lions.