Vaughan leaving nothing to chance while Butcher passed fit

Michael Vaughan has underlined that England will be leaving nothing to chance as they attempt to inflict a 24th defeat in 25 Tests on Bangladesh, at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Speaking during a press conference at the team hotel today, Vaughan confirmed his side's readiness for the task in hand, adding that the fitness levels of his squad were at an all-time high. "Over the years we probably haven't been as fit as we probably could be," he admitted, "but this winter, it is something we have all bought into. We've trained harder for this Test match than any other on tour. We made a pact to give it a good go, and we intend to carry our fitness for the whole winter."

When England arrived on Oct 8, Bangladesh was being battered by torrential rainstorms, so there can be no complaints about the amount of practice the team has managed to fit in. "We've had enough preparation," Vaughan confirmed, after two drawn warm-up matches in the past week. "A few of us would have liked longer in the middle - myself included - so I guess we are going in a little undercooked. But Test matches are a totally different game mentally. We will be fully ready to go on Tuesday."

England did enjoy the better of both those games, but the balance of the side is still causing the selectors one or two headaches. "When Freddie [Flintoff] was coming out here, the team picked itself," said Vaughan: "Two spinners, two quicks and the allrounder at No. 6." Ashley Giles and Gareth Batty have both staked eloquent claims for the primary spinner's role, but it remains to be seen whether Martin Saggers or Richard Johnson will edge one or the other out of the starting XI.

In Flintoff's absence, the allrounder's duties have passed to Rikki Clarke, who - barring a late change of heart - will be taking over from his Surrey team-mate, Alec Stewart, as England's new No. 6. "Clarke has been picked because we feel he's ready," said Vaughan. "He is an immense talent with the bat, and he's outstanding in the field."

Vaughan admitted that there were still one or two reservations about Clarke's bowling at Test level, but added that he was precisely the type of player England need to persevere with. "He's only 21. The more opportunities we give him, and the more he comes to places like this, it will hold us in good stead for the future."

England have been finalising their preparations by studying videos of the Bangladeshis in action, especially during their recent series in Australia where they earned the hard-won respect of their opponents. There is no complacency in this squad, which makes a stark contrast to the last time England played an inaugural series - against Zimbabwe in 1996-97, where they drew the Tests 0-0, and were whitewashed in the three-match one-day series.

But Vaughan is unequivocal about England's aims in the next few weeks. "We have come out here expecting to win," he said bullishly. "But we won't win anything without hard work. You've seen the heat and humidity out here. We've got to be prepared to spend a long time in the middle, whether batting or bowling." As England discovered in both warm-ups, the weather in these parts can fluctuate at the drop of a thundercloud. "That's an aspect we can't control," said Vaughan. "First and foremost, we have to assume the match will go five days, and put them under some pressure."

Steve Harmison seems a certain starter, despite the tendency for the pitches to be slow and low. "A guy with that type of pace and height always has a good chance," confirmed Vaughan. "But it takes a lot of effort, being a tall bowler in these parts. Whoever plays, will be tough going out there.

"There won't be many that bounce and fly past the nostril. More often they hit you on the shin or the middle of the pad," he added wryly, after being trapped lbw for 1 by a low-bouncing delivery in his final warm-up match. It was a dismissal that meant Vaughan had managed just one fifty in 19 innings since assuming the Test captaincy, and he knows only too well that the spotlight will be on his form come Tuesday.

"I'm only four games into the job," he pointed out. &"Of course I'd like a few more runs, but come Tuesday, I'm only one innings away from a big hundred. I'm sure that when I get that big score, a lot of the opinions will quieten down. Runs are hard enough to come by when you're in good nick, it's even more difficult when you've had a run of low scores. I'm sure it'll be a battling innings, but I'm hoping for a bit of the rub of the green."

Meanwhile, Mark Butcher has recovered from a throat infection and been passed fit for the Test. Butcher missed the warm-up match against Bangladesh A, but he played a full part in a training session on Monday, and will definitely make the starting XI.

"One of the things about this side and the players coming through is that you don't want to miss a game," Butcher said. "Regardless of how many runs you have scored over the last year there are people waiting their turn to get in."

England team (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Rikki Clarke, 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Matthew Hoggard.