However, while the 2-0 scoreline seems impressive, it doesn’t reflect the underlying story, that of England’s struggles in between moments of domination. That Tamim Iqbal managed to register hundreds in both the Tests tells a tale in itself.

At the same time, England fought back well against the rest, and came out of the series with their reputation in tact. Still, keeping the next Ashes in mind, it is very much clear now that England have plenty to work on before taking on the Aussie challenge.

First and foremost, the English bowlers needed the help of murky conditions to unsettle the Bangladesh batting line-up. This has to be a major cause of worry for Andrew Strauss and co.

It is a given that Bangladesh’s batting is among the weakest in Test cricket. Despite this, there were a number of occasions when England just had no answer to Bangladesh’s onslaught, when they went on the offensive. On the contrary, they just sat back and let the drama unfold. Iqbal’s innings in the first Test left a scathing impact on the Englishmen. He batted with supremely authority in both Test.

It was only when the sun hid behind the clouds that their fortunes changed, and the wickets started tumbling. Suddenly, Steven Finn became unplayable, and James Anderson joined him in the second Test.

While it was great for England that they captured 20 wickets in consecutive days in the concluding Test of the series, it is also a fact that they wouldn’t be greeted by any such helpful conditions in Australia. And, that is when the true worth of Finn and Anderson will be tested.

The series also gave England a chance to test a couple of their other fringe players, and see how ready they are for the five-day game. Both Ajmal Shahzad and Eoin Morgan, who was a surprise selection considering his unorthodox game, did reasonably well.

Also, Jonathan Trott’s double hundred was a memorable effort. Of late, the batsman has been in the news for some wrong reasons, and it was good for English cricket that he silenced some murmurs with the bat.

England need him to be among the runs as, in his short international stint, he has shown the maturity of a proper Test cricketer, on more than one occasion. It also helped that skipper Andrew Strauss and the rest got among the runs. And, with Graeme Swann too returning to his wicket-taking ways, England had further cause to celebrate.

At the end of the day, though, one needs to keep in mind that this was Bangladesh, and so their performances can only be viewed as tiny indicators of their capability. It is all the more important that this same yardstick is applied to Finn.

One shouldn’t put too much pressure on the tall fast-bowler so early, hailing him as a prospective Ashes hero. After all, he is yet to achieve anything substantial against a decent side yet. It is the series against Pakistan in late July that will give us all a better idea of what to expect from England and co in the near future.

England celebrates their win

The second Test at Manchester promised to provide great entertainment after the outcome of the first Test at Lords. England was expected to win, and they did. However, the victory was very tricky for England as it had to overcome some very solid batting by Bangladesh in both the innings.

Hence, this test was a good chance for England to show that they were the same dangerous side which won the Ashes last summer at home, and would go on to defend it in Australia this year.

Under sunny conditions, Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow pitch. Strauss and his opening partner, Alastair Cook gave England a good start. Cook was not amongst the runs, after his exploits as captain in Bangladesh in March.

He looked settled, until Strauss got out to a good delivery by the young Shaiful Islam, giving a regulation catch to a waiting Imrul Kayes at third slip. The score was 44/1 when the double-centurion of the last Test, Jonathan Trott came out to bat. However, it wasn’t long until Shaiful came up with another peach of a delivery which angled into Trott and bowled him comprehensively.

Why wasn’t Shaiful picked for the Lords Test? This must have been the question in every Bangladeshi fan’s mind, after the wicket of Trott. Kevin Pietersen, at No.4, joined Cook. Both of them wanted to build a huge partnership, but were prevented from doing so thanks to Cook falling to spinner Abdur Razzak, off his very first ball of the series.

At lunch, England was tottering at 92/3 with wickets belonging to the two changes that Shakib al Hasan had brought into the team for the Test. Could this session have an impact on the course of the match? It didn’t prove to be, as England showed that winning a session doesn’t necessarily mean that a team has the momentum to do well later in a Test match.

Kevin Pietersen was batting like a free bird, especially attacking the left-arm spinners. He scored 64 runs off just 81 balls, until it was Shakib al Hasan who got him out again!

A very rash shot ended Pietersen’s innings and England were in a Catch-22 situation at 153/4 when the 1-Test old Eoin Morgan came out to bat. It was a good opportunity for him to prove his worth as a Test player.

Morgan took the responsibility to attack, while Bell was quietly at the other end scoring runs by taking the ones and twos time and again. At tea, Bell reached his fifty and he looked to score a lot more.

Morgan was dismissed by an erratic Shahadat Hossain, giving him his first wicket of the match. However, that didn’t stop Bell as he had an able partner in Matt Prior. The duo batted right till the end of the first day putting England in a much better position at 275/5 in 83 overs.

One of the highlights of the second day was Ian Bell reaching a well-deserved hundred. Prior also made a half-century, which was crucial for England to build a challenging first-innings total. However, England suffered a setback with the wicket of Bell, leaving England at 399/7 at lunch.

The last three wickets fell quickly as England were bowled out for 416, just after lunch. The Bangladeshi skipper ended once again as his team’s best bowler with figures of 5/121 in 37.3 overs which included four maidens. Shakib al Hasan’s proved that the Old Trafford was a spinner’s paradise.

In 2006, Muttiah Muralitharan took 10 wickets in the match to lead Sri Lanka to a win against England. In 2008, Daniel Vettori picked five wickets in the first innings, although England went on to win. So it was a good sign for spinners to have a good game altogether.

Tamim Iqbal in my book, is definitely a prime candidate for winning the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year award this year. And his 108 runs off just 114 balls is justification of my belief. A strike rate of 94.73 only goes to show the mess that he got England into, and what a Sehwag-like impact he can make.

He is proving to be an asset for Bangladesh and his growing maturity was shown even as wickets fell at the other end, with Swann doing good business with the old ball.

The next highest score was 36, by his opening partner Imrul Kayes! Bangladesh were cruising at 126/0, until it was time to watch the Swann show. Quick wickets of Junaid Siddique and Jahurul Islam alongwith Anderson picking Tamim Iqbal reduced Bangladesh to a treacherous 169/4, when Shakib joined Mohammad Ashraful at the crease.

Bangladesh’s two best batsmen also struggled as Shakib fell to Swann’s brilliant flighted delivery outside the off-stump, giving Swann his fourth wicket of the match. Ashraful became the young Ajmal Shahzad’s first Test victim, leaving Bangladesh at 200/6.

From here on, there is nothing much for Bangladeshi fans to even watch, let alone rejoice. Swann ended the Bangladeshi innings in style, with a five-wicket haul as Bangladesh was all out for 216 at the end of the second days play.

It was proved that Swann is extremely effective on a turning track as he went wicketless on a much grassier Lords surface. So Swann would have to improve a lot as Australia isn’t too far away. He needs to recreate the magic that he had displayed in South Africa, if England has to do well to retain the Ashes and rise in the ICC Test rankings.

However, the match was not over by any means even as the end was hasty. Bangladesh was trailing by 203 runs in the first innings, very similar to the situation they were in at Lords.

Strauss had no hesitation in asking Bangladesh to bat again. It was a good chance for Bangladesh to bat better as they would be rejuvenated enough after a demoralizing second day.

However, England’s bowlers were much fresher than Bangladesh’s batsmen because cloudy skies dominated the start of the third day’s play. England took full advantage of the poor weather conditions as they showed that they are very much the dangerous home team that they traditionally have been.

Bangladesh’s second innings was dominated by the English pace duo of James Anderson and Steven Finn. Tamim Iqbal, who had so far scored 266 runs in 3 innings in the series so far, fell of the second ball of the innings to a short-pitched ball from Anderson. Anderson was at his best, as he picked Iqbal both the times in the match.

It didn’t take long for Kayes, Siddique and Jahurul Islam to fall as Bangladesh were left reeling at 21/4 in 8 overs only. Ashraful tried to put up a fight but was dismissed on 14, giving Anderson his third wicket of the innings. The other formalities were completed by the rest of the crop, especially Finn who picked up another five-wicket haul in the series.

Mahmudullah delayed the inevitable by scoring a sedate 38, but these individual performances haven’t allowed Bangladesh to play as a team. And the result was a loss to Bangladesh by an innings and 80 runs. It just took one session for Bangladesh to be bowled out on Day 3.

Shakib al Hasan had every right to be disappointed with the batting, which failed miserably in swinging conditions. The team could be consoled with Tamim Iqbal’s performances which won him the man of the series award. Andrew Strauss was a happier man and rated this victory a lot higher than that at Lords, for obvious reasons.

England have also benefited with Steven Finn sharing the man-of-the-series award with Iqbal for picking 15 wickets in the series. It is good to see Finn coming off age and he could be the next Harmison for England, with the build that he has. However there are still concerns for the team. They need to enhance their game in such a way that they are unbeatable.

Under cloudy skies, England are unbeatable but in sunny conditions, the same cannot be said. Australia would have hard, bouncy pitches and sunny conditions.

The bowling, in particular has to be worked upon as if Bangladesh can win sessions easily, why can’t teams like Australia do so? And if the immediate future is concerned, why can’t a new-look Pakistan team look to win a Test series in England for the first time since 1992?

Although primarily selected for his bowling, he has shown great potential with the bat. This gets him on par with Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain. And Shakib is the current Bangladesh captain. The comparisons don’t end just here.

Vettori made his debut at the age of 18 and Shakib did at the age of 19. Vettori was largely under-estimated by many pundits at the start of his career. So was Shakib, who took two years to establish himself as a top player for the Bangladesh team, in all three formats of the game. Vettori belongs to the elite club of those who have scored 3000 Test runs and picked 300 wickets.

This has made him book his place in the top of the ICC rankings for all-rounders. Shakib has already picked 70 wickets and scored 1168 runs in 20 Tests to be precise. And if Shakib continues at this rate, in 100 Tests, he could get atleast 300 wickets and actually get close to Vettori who has picked 325 wickets.

In fact, Shakib is at par with Vettori already by being in the top all-rounder rankings as well. However, my hunch is that Shakib al Hasan will be more of a batting all-rounder. It is because the current focus of the Bangladesh team is to improve their batting, by making their top-order efficient.

Shakib would soon or later bat at No.4 in all three formats, as his match-winning ability can’t be questioned. And being captain, adds more responsibility on him. Vettori never faced such a problem after two years of international cricket, which made him focus on improving his bowling. And thus today, as Vettori by being skipper, has improved his batting. So, he can be called a bowling all-rounder.

Both the players are very similar in their styles of batting and bowling. Batting-wise, both of them look to attack when possible, in the shorter formats and defend in Tests, so that their teams can get to respectable totals. Bowling-wise, Vettori and Shakib are extremely successful in bowling the arm-ball which is in my opinion, really difficult for a left-arm spinner to execute.

It is because if a left-hand batsman is on strike, he could easily convert it down the leg-side for a single or keep it down the ground without scoring. And a right hander can look to play it straight back to the bowler. Both the men have picked Kevin Pietersen, for example with the same delivery many a times.

Both are decent fielders as well, which sets a good example for the rest of the team to follow. Plus, both their personalities have made them skippers of their respective teams. Vettori and Shakib are fine characters on and off the field. Humble, modest, truthful, disciplined are words that are common which can be applied to both of them.

This maybe due to both having a poor economic background altogether, which has made them work hard to become what they are today.

However, Shakib has a long way to go in order to emulate Vettori. He still needs some more experience to become a better player. He needs to look to constantly improve, unlike his team-mate Mohammad Ashraful. Perhaps, if Bangladesh can keep him as a long-term captain, it could help his personal form get better.

Shakib is still young, being just 23 years old. It is easy for a young cricketer to get carried away after a good start to his international career, or joining tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the lure of money is huge. Plus, the major worry for Shakib would be to keep himself fit enough.

The team also needs to have quality players, which could reduce the burden on him. Vettori is mature enough to understand his body and doing the right, to make his country benefit. This is where the Bangladeshi Cricket Board’s role is important. It needs to counsel Shakib so that he doesn’t fade.

Plus, his personal and family life also needs to be in control so that he doesn’t lose his focus. All this is not easy in the light of Shakib being another Vettori in the making. Could that be so? Not for now, but maybe in two years, it could be possible.

If everybody thought that England would dominate right throughout the game, like they did in the first two days, it was time to think again. Bangladesh are not the same side like they were five years ago.

Their perseverance and hard work paid off as they could challenge England’s supremacy at home. It was a good sign for Bangladesh and thus test cricket. The last three days was a fitting reply to those critics who felt that minnows like Bangladesh do not deserve to maintain their status as a Test-playing nation.

The third day’s play began with a lot of hope for Bangladesh. At the overnight score of 179/2, Shakib al Hasan’s men would have looked to score above 350 for sure and make England bat again.

However, events didn’t turn out to favour Bangladesh. It was due to some fine bowling by rookie pacer Steven Finn. Finn was criticized a day before, for not bowling to his strengths against a relatively weak Bangladeshi batting line-up.

However, he helped England fight back in the match by picking key wickets of the well-set Imrul Kayes, the dangerous Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful and the in-form wicketkeeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.

Day 3 was a rain-hit day and if it wasn’t raining, the duration of play was low due to bad light. Though, it aided England’s bowlers who traditionally rely on swing and seam movement.

Even James Anderson, England’s spearhead fast bowler, wasn’t at his best the day before. But along with Finn, he exploited the conditions on the third day by picking four wickets, which included the important wicket of Shakib al Hasan, the Bangladeshi skipper.

At the end of Day 3, Bangladesh had yet again collapsed, like in the past in Test matches. They were left reeling at 237/7 from a score of 179/2. England proved that they were returning to their best, after a not so convincing bowling performance a day before.

Day 4 promised to be exciting. Bangladesh was wrapped up for 282 in the first session of the day. England had a huge first-innings lead of 223 runs. This made Andrew Strauss impose the follow-on, allowing Bangladesh to bat again. In the second innings, Bangladesh played much better than expected. Tamim Iqbal’s century was the highlight of the day.

It was one of the most memorable knocks Lord’s would have ever seen. And that too by a young Bangladeshi opening batsman. He carried on from his 55 in the first innings to score a 100-ball 103, which included as many as 15 fours and 2 sixes.

Sounds like a one-day knock, isn’t it? But that was the beauty of the innings. Just as how Dilip Vengsarkar played a breathtaking knock in 1986 at the same ground, Tamim Iqbal too defied the English bowlers and was severe on Tim Bresnan, in particular.

That hundred not only put his name on the honours board at Lords, but also assured Bangladesh that they won’t lose by an innings and England would have to chase, which would be tricky given that the weather was unpredictable and the pitch was also going to slow down.

His opening partner, Imrul Kayes also had a good outing the second time around, as he scored his first Test fifty. Both put up a threatening and defying 185-run partnership for the first wicket in just 38.2 overs. However, England struck back at the stroke of tea on Day 4, sending back both the openers to the pavilion, in quick succession.

Junaid Siddique, batting at No.3, made it 2 in 2, by scoring another fifty. The young Jahurul Islam gave good support to Siddique as they put a 100-run partnership for the third wicket. And this is where the turnaround for England actually began.
After some solid resistance by Bangladesh’s batsman, it was time for England to strike. Siddique was stranded at the non-strikers end as wickets of Islam, Ashraful and night watchman Shahadat Hossain fell.

Mohammad Ashraful was in good touch until Anderson bowled a short delivery to which Ashraful played on, and Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper took a regulation catch behind the stumps. Day 4 ended with Bangladesh at 328/5 in the second innings, following on as Siddique was unbeaten on 66 and captain Shakib al Hasan was not out on 2.

It was the same story on the final day of the Test match. The young Bangladeshi team was bound to be nervous and under pressure as they were fighting to draw the match. And England took full advantage of their mental state.

Andrew Strauss plotted dismissals very well and it produced immediate results. Shakib al Hasan and Junaid Siddique fell quickly, earlier in the day, courtesy some good bowling by Finn once again.

This left two new batsmen at the crease, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, at drinks with the score reading 356/7. Bangladesh would have been hoping for the rains to come again. But the weather gods supported the hosts.

At lunch, Bangladesh was bowled out for 382, a very low score to make from being at a strong position of 328/5, overnight. It left Steven Finn as a strong contender for the man-of-the-match with a five-wicket haul in the second innings, besides his four wickets in the first innings.

England needed a mere 160 runs to win. And they chased it in style, thanks to captain Strauss’ 82, which was his second fifty of the game. Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen finished off the chase with Trott contributing again with 36 not out, and Pietersen hurried off the finish with two boundaries, ending with 10 not out.

Finn indeed was the man-of-the-match, although some would feel that Trott deserved it as he scored 262 runs in the entire match. It was an under-par performance from both the sides, something which both the captains would agree with. England weren’t looking the dominant Test team that they are at home, and Bangladesh need to be mentally stronger to challenge teams like England.

With the Ashes around the corner, Strauss and coach Andy Flower will have to work on the bowling as Australian conditions would be harsh for England’s ‘swing’ bowlers. And if they continue to play like this, it could be curtains not just for the Ashes in winter, but the remaining English summer when Pakistan come later.

Post achieving Test status over a decade back, there has been a significant improvement in Bangladesh’s cricket. However, following yet another Test defeat, the latest against England at Lord’s, one is forced to believe that they still have miles to go before being seen as a force to reckon with at an international level.

The major issue with Bangladesh’s cricket has been their inept bowling, which was exposed once again. While the spinners can come in handy on home pitches, the bowling doesn’t really make much of an impression when they go abroad.

And, this one area the Asian minnows would really have to work hard upon in the years to come, if they aim to be consistent in the longer version of the game. In both the innings at Lord’s, the English batsmen looked in no trouble at all, and eventually romped home to victory, which should worry Bangladesh no end.

Of course, when a side amasses 700 plus, they must have played some exceptional cricket. Jonathan Trott’s double hundred was a classic Test match innings, and the Bangladesh batsmen can learn a lot from his knock.

In contrast, Andrew Strauss’ trouble-free half-century in the second innings only reaffirmed what the opposition’s weak link was.

Bangladesh’s bowling effort stuck out like a sore thumb more so since their batting was equally praiseworthy. Tamim Iqbal, in particular, registered an outstanding century, which clearly frustrated the English bowlers.

There were moments when Iqbal looked in total command of the innings and literally toyed with a bowling, which was more than decent by international standards. Again, like their bowling, Bangladesh have plenty of scope for improvement in their batting.

When the conditions were bright and sunny, Bangladesh’s batsmen were on top, but when the sun hid behind the clouds they were miserable, which was primarily responsible for their loss. Their batsmen thus need to be physically as well as mentally tough to cope with varying situations.

Despite the impressive eight-wicket victory margin, England also had their share of troubles amidst the glory, not least of was their inability of make an impression on the batsmen when there wasn’t must assistance from the pitch. If they can be torn apart by an average side like Bangladesh, imagine the havoc that Australia can cause on batsman-friendly pitches.

This should be a strong cause of worry for Andrew Strauss and his men as they head into the second Test. The think-tank of Andy Flower and co need to sit down and analyze how they can improve on this aspect in the coming games.

Graeme Swann had an off game, failing to pick up a single wicket. But, one shouldn’t read too much into it as there was hardly anything on offer for the spinners, as the pacers made merry.

Among the positives for the home team, there were quite a few, expectedly considering the opposition was Bangladesh. Even so, Steven Finn’s nine-wicket effort on debut has to rated as a top-notch performance.

Demonstrating a Glenn McGrath-like accuracy in his first Test, Finn was unplayable under cloudy conditions, an effort reminiscent of Graham Onions during his debut last year.

While he was lethal under helpful conditions, his real test would come when the circumstances get tougher, and there isn’t enough on offer from the surface. For now though, he can enjoy his moment in the sun whilst preparing for the bigger battles ahead.

England would undoubtedly take the momentum from the win into the second Test. And, while Bangladesh can pat themselves on the back for putting up a tough fight, sooner or later, they need to realize that the transition from being brave losers to becoming competitive to the extent of winning needs to take place soon.

Else, the frustration levels of not only the cricketers, but those of the country’s fans, as well as the ICC will be tested.

Kevin Petersen celebrates with his teammates

The time is ripe for Test cricket to take centre-stage after a T-20 extravaganza which involved the IPL and the World T-20. And what better advertisement can Test cricket get, than the start of the traditional English summer. The hosts, England are on a roll after winning the World T-20 in the West Indies, beating Australia emphatically in the final.

They were flawless throughout the tournament, which made many believe that the team can go the distance by winning not just the Ashes in Australia this year, but also the 50-over World Cup in the Indian subcontinent next year. Thus, England begins their preparations of the upcoming tough winter season, by facing Bangladesh at home first up in 2 Tests.

On the other hand, Bangladesh had a poor World T-20 as they were knocked out in the first round itself. And on this tour, they even lost their warm-up match against the England Lions, making their job of competing against a confident English team, even more difficult. However, Bangladesh is improving for certain and with a top-quality player like Shakib al Hasan as their captain, they stand a chance of at least a fighting draw, if not a win at Lords, where the first test is being played.

Playing at Lords in London, is a dream for any cricketer in the world. After all, it is the ‘Home of Cricket’. However, at the same time, it can build up pressure to those same excited cricketers who are looking forward to make an impact at the venue. And that exactly sums up the first day of the first Test for Bangladesh.

Shakib al Hasan won the toss and made a baffling decision to bowl first in good batting conditions. This was a perfect opportunity for England to put up a huge score against a Bangladesh side whose average age is just 22. And England did exactly that.

The skipper Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott, batting at No.3, put up a 181-run partnership for the 2nd wicket after Alastair Cook fell early for just 7 runs, being lbw to Shahadat Hossain, perhaps the spearhead of the Bangladesh attack in the absence of the experienced Mashrafe Mortaza.

Strauss didn’t look like he had taken a break for 4 months as he batted like the way he does, that too at his home ground and by far his favourite, Lords. The England captain scored 83 runs of 129 balls until he played a lackluster shot to get clean bowled of Bangladesh off-spinner Mahmudullah.

Trott hung on the other end as he saw the wickets of an in-form Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell falling. Pietersen, who won the man-of-the-tournament award in a successful World T-20 campaign, was expected to make a big score again, even if Test cricket is a different ball game.

He was looking in great touch until it was Shakib al Hasan, who once again dismissed him. It was great captaincy as he took advantage of Pietersen’s weakness against left-arm spin, which was evident in Bangladesh as well.

England was perhaps missing the ‘rested’ World T-20 winning captain, Paul Collingwood as his solidarity would have helped in the situation. But Trott continued to bat till the end of the day, scoring a brilliant 175 not out at the end of the first day’s play, his first Test hundred at Lords and the second of his career, after the Ashes-winning hundred at The Oval in the same city on his debut last year. He looked so comfortable at the crease that it was a complete contrast of his woeful batting in South Africa last season.

Trott’s batting also helped the debutant, Eoin Morgan play his natural game. Morgan wasn’t nervous on his debut at Lords and he carried his good form in the West Indies in this game. He was on the verge of getting a half-century as he was stranded on 40 not out at the end of the day with England at 362/4 in 90 overs. Bangladesh didn’t bowl exceptionally well, and it was more of the mistakes committed by the English batsman rather than the brilliance of their bowlers that got them the four wickets.

After a poor first day, the visitors had a better second day. Even as Trott completed a glorious double-hundred, Bangladesh was able to pick up wickets regularly. Morgan missed out on a half-century by adding just 4 runs from his overnight score of 40. Tim Bresnan, who is a Freddie in the making, showed that he can bat well.

Unfortunately though, he was adjudged out on 25 of a good Shahadat delivery and an exceptional catch by Junaid Siddique at first slip. Graeme Swann was in an attacking mode, like he usually is in when he bats, but it didn’t help his team much as he took a risk of the bowling of Shakib, giving the skipper his second wicket.

By then, Bangladesh was confident enough to bowl out England as Trott too departed after an outstanding 226, batting for nearly 11 hours. And they did so successfully as Shahadat Hossain as his name was ready to be put up on the famous Lords honours board for picking up five wickets in an innings, in the process being the first Bangladeshi player to achieve this feat. It was a decent comeback from Bangladesh but there was more to come.

Bangladesh’s openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes must have been told by their skipper to go out hard at the English bowlers. And that’s exactly what they did. James Anderson, by far England’s top pace bowler, was rusty on his return. He didn’t play a single game in the World T-20 in the West Indies.

This cost England dearly as his bowling made Andrew Strauss run out of ideas. England were also missing Graham Onions, who is out for three months due to a knee injury and has been the ideal for opening the bowling with Anderson in Tests over the last year or so. Stuart Broad has been rested, and arguably he is England’s in-form bowler at the moment.

Hence England’s bowling attack in this match lacks the potency which was so much in abundance as seen in the Ashes series and in South Africa last season. However, these can’t be excuses as Tamim Iqbal batted really well and was set for a huge score until he went for a risky single and was run out by Kevin Pietersen for a quick-fire 55 runs of just 62 balls. The first-wicket partnership itself was of 88, and Iqbal was supported well by Kayes who scored a well-deserved 43.

At the end of the second day’s play, both the openers fell, leaving both a confident Junaid Siddique, who also scored a fifty and a sedate Jaharul Islam unbeaten at the crease with the score being a surprising 172/2 in 53 overs. If the weather doesn’t play truant in the next three days of the test, this could turn out to be a cracking contest.

Something which even the most ardent Bangladeshi supporter wouldn’t have hoped for against England in England after a disappointing series the last time around, in 2005!

Shahadat Hossain celebrates his wicket

I write this article as I watch Bangladesh take on England at the home of cricket lords. Its lunch time on the second day of the first test match and Bangladesh seem to be playing without any motive, an absolute disgrace to the game of test cricket.

It was almost coming down to lunch time before umpire Ashoka de Silva from Sri Lanka decided on one more over before the clock ticked over the stipulated 1 o clock time. Bangaldeshi skipper Shakib al Hasan handed the ball over to former captain Mohammad Ashraful.

Ashraful bowled an over of absolute dollies depicting nonchalance towards the game of test cricket. Slow leg breaks, nothing more than 40 miles per hour short and wide, some looped up even over the shoulder. The balls were so slow that one of them couldn’t be recorded on the speed gun. Atrocious piece of cricket!

So, the question arises should test cricket be streamlined to the top 8 teams in the world? Will test cricket miss the Bangladeshi’s?

The matter is as much the concern of survival of test cricket as it is of giving an opportunity to upcoming nations like Bangladesh on the international arena. But do they deserve it? Are they doing justice to it?

After seeing something like this I have my reserves about answering these questions.

Well, it can always be said that the critics are always out armed with daggers ready to strike. However, in retrospect one could say that it was one over to lunch and a culmination of slackened bodies and minds could have caused this.

Whatever be the reason, one thing is certain international test cricket was not made for this. International test cricket was made for quality and I am afraid that is not to be seen anywhere keeping the ashes aside.