England's cricket tour to Bangladesh

(09-03-2010 15:06 )birdlime Wrote:  Why on earth were cook and carberry bowling today they are batsmens not bowlers for goodness sake.

Cook went for 111 runs in his 5 overs

Carberry went for 78 runs in his 4 overs

Here is the link

http://www.cricinfo.com/bdeshveng2010/en...26419.html

Same as Bill said, it's just setting up a declaration........To be honest it's not even a competitive game really, more a tuning up exercise for our batsmen. (though i doubt poor old Kev is finding it to be of any help right now!!)

Don't worry, i can pretty much assure you that Cook WON'T be bowling in either test match

Warm up games are always a farce. It's never worth reading anything into them. I don't know how many times I've seen the Aussies come over and stink up the place in the warm up games against county journeymen, then proceed to annihilate England when the real matches start. I'm still pretty confident England will win the series, although not without a few scary moments on the way. Bangladesh are a young side, with a lot of potential. In a few years time, they won't be such an easy proposition, especially on home soil.

Day 1 Chittagong

England 374/3 off 90 overs

It was a comfortable day for England and good to see Kevin Pietersen piling on the runs just a shame he missed out on a century but hope England get to 600 runs or more in the 1st innings and make those Bangladeshi's pay after putting England into bat.

This match so far, sums up exactly what it means to be an England cricket fan.

England are in a commanding position and before lunch today they should have amassed a huge combined innings total, which even on a less than lively subcontinent wicket should be unassailable, with a day and a half left to take ten wickets from an inexperienced side who despite having a couple of promising players lack a genuine match winner...

So of course some, let's call it interesting selections for the bowling attack (I use that term loosely, since any side who bowl Tim Bresnan as an opener stretch the word "attack" to its limit) mean that the only thought running through my head is "Don't embarrass yourselves by having three exhausted seamers bowl the match into a dull and humiliating draw.". Only England could bottle out of making the sensible team selection against Bangladesh.

Even if the likely outcome (a relatively comfortable win) happens, I can only be frustrated that against arguably the weakest team playing test cricket today (it's not really fair to call Zimbabwe a test nation right now), England insisted on playing six batters, a specialist 'keeper/batsman and four bowlers, three of whom are seamers. Can I be the only person in the country who thinks this was the perfect chance to blood Luke Wright and James Tredwell, as well as Finn?

Well get Tredwell in the side possibly for Trott in the next test. Wright in the one day game, my opinion has changed on him in the past 12 months as someone that can be in the side as a boundary hitter who comes in down the order (not an opener) and be a fourth seamer in a typical one day side with Anderson, Broad, Bresnan and then him, Collingwood and Swann. But for tests at this minute I can't see him being in the side as the all-rounder batted higher than Prior or Broad or Swann, this side bats down to 10 with Bresnan so no point in my view of putting in another all rounder, get Tredwell in for the next test on a track that will maybe turn more than this one.

I expect us to open with Swann and maybe Pietersen for the first five overs tomorrow then get the new ball and end this partnership and maybe wrap it up before lunch or an hour after. Should be no probelm, lets not make hard work here chaps.

I'm not suggesting playing him higher in the order than Prior, I wouldn't have Prior in the side for this series. I'd play Kieswetter at no.6 with Wright at no.7. That leaves Broad and Swann for no's.8 & 9, with Tredwell (Who has a first class ton to his name, let's not forget) at no.10 and Finn at the end. Genuine batting ability down as far as no.9 ought to be more than enough to deal with Bangladesh in test matches.

There's a misconception that Wright can only play one game with the bat (Hulk SMASH!), but that simply isn't true. County pitches are often extremely seam friendly, especially up north, and the regular cloud cover in this country means the ball moves in the air far more than in any other country, with the possible exception of New Zealand. To average 35 down the order in the first class game requires you to be able to bat with more intelligence than a real life Bam-Bam Rubble with club in hand. Wright is the victim of team orders, because he's a naturally gifted hitter of the ball he's been tasked with being the lower middle order pinch hitter. A job he does with stunning mediocrity, just like Flintoff did before him. Let the lad build an innings properly, in the real game, and I think he'll surprise a few people. Besides, how will he ever cultivate an ability to play in tests, if he doesn't get to play in tests? Even if it's only in so-called "easy" games and dead rubbers for the first year or so.

P.S. Before anyone asks, the man I'd drop for him is K.P.. He's overrated, out of form and plays selfishly. Let him see he isn't indispensable, while blooding some new players. There'll never be a better chance of doing it with relatively little likelihood of the wheels falling off. (As far as it's possible to minimise chances for humiliation, where England are concerned. ) Pieterson might even come back a slightly better (or at least, less annoying) player for it.

Second test Day 1 Mirpur

Bangladesh 330/8 off 94 overs

I have to say Bangladesh are certainly improving with the bat and Tamim Iqbal played very well on his 21st birthday today although England did well to get 8 wickets overall.

(20-03-2010 21:32 )birdlime Wrote:  Second test Day 1 Mirpur

Bangladesh 330/8 off 94 overs

I have to say Bangladesh are certainly improving with the bat and Tamim Iqbal played very well on his 21st birthday today although England did well to get 8 wickets overall.

Pretty even day on a fairly slow wicket. At least England have got the balance of the side right as we have enough batting against modest bowling but need 5 bowlers to share the workload in such tough conditions. England will look to bat once and well but credit to Bangladesh for a decent effort with the bat.

(20-03-2010 21:32 )birdlime Wrote:  Second test Day 1 Mirpur

Bangladesh 330/8 off 94 overs

I have to say Bangladesh are certainly improving with the bat and Tamim Iqbal played very well on his 21st birthday today although England did well to get 8 wickets overall.

Yes Bangladesh make England work hard for their wickets, so credit to their batting efforts but in the last test their bowling and fielding was very poor and that's where they need a big improvement.

Good to see Bangladesh finally making a game of it, but on the basis of what i've seen so far on this tour i really fear for them when they make the return trip to the UK in a couple of months.......The early season pitches over here will be at their liveliest and they certainly won't be ready for the ball swinging around corners, as it always does at the beginning of our season.

Not to mention the weather.....Might not be cold to US in the middle of May, but it will feel positively bloody artic to them!! You have to wonder how they'll cope with all that, bearing in mind that they've been soundly beaten at both formats of the game so far, on their own turf.