Beware the Bangladeshis
England's Test series against Bangladesh could prove dangerous, not because the hosts are good, but because they are bad
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
England's Test series against Bangladesh could prove dangerous, not because the hosts are good, but because they are bad. In the Telegraph, Scyld Berry warns of the dangerous consequences.
This series will be a test of character for England – another fortnight of shuttling between Dhaka and Chittagong – and a test of their reserves, as their fast bowling resources have drained away with injuries; the inevitable result of making England play all year round, as if the ECB didn't already know. But the two Tests won't be a proper test of cricket skills: for England it will be like an exam in which you are given an occasional look at the answers.
In the same paper, Steve James picks out six lessons for England from the one-day whitewash against Bangladesh.
By dredging their talent from an open pool, England are losing the power to make their fans feel deeply unhappy. Barney Ronay explains in his blog on the Guardian website.
This is a mix-and-match bunch, although there's nothing wrong with Alastair Cook that couldn't be solved by simply not letting him play again until he's in his mid-thirties. Cook is a peculiar contradiction a young, thrusting, handsome, baseball-capped arthritic nurdler. It feels wrong.
Kevin Pietersen, under pressure and out of sorts, needs to go back to his basics against Bangladesh, feels Vic Marks.