Bangladesh v England: It will only get tougher for England in India
- Published
England could probably have swallowed defeat against Bangladesh in the second Test, given that they needed to complete their highest successful fourth-innings chase in Asia.
But they will not accept the manner in which they lost, collapsing from 100-0 to 164 all out in the space of 22.5 overs after tea on a historic day in Dhaka as Bangladesh claimed their maiden Test win over England to earn a series draw.
A target of 273 in spinning conditions is testing, although it looked possible following Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett's impressive opening partnership.
The way in which England subsided to Mehedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan on the third evening was extremely disappointing, and shows they must improve greatly if they are to stand any chance in India.
Yes, conditions favoured the bowlers. And yes, England remain an inexperienced side. You can offer all the explanations that might make the pill a little less bitter, but you simply cannot get blown away like that.
It was the third biggest collapse in Test history by a team that were 100 without loss - that says it all.
The match was like the series as a whole. There were only two matches yet, in terms of momentum shifts in games, it was one of the most dramatic series I have seen. You have to say 1-1 was a fair result.
Duckett like no other England opener
Duckett played some extraordinary shots in his 56, his maiden Test half-century in his second match.
In the fourth over of the innings he was playing reverse sweeps; I do not think any England player has ever opened the innings like that before.
The left-hander has a lot of flair, is certainly different and got England off to a fine start after Bangladesh had been bowled out for 296.
He is a very exciting player, but whether he can continue like that at the top of the order remains to be seen.
Though only 22, Duckett has clearly a got very strong character because he dropped an absolute sitter in the field, having made 14, 15 and seven in his first three Test innings with the bat. For a weaker character that might have been a knockout blow.
Should England have rotated their team?
England made changes for this match, bringing in debutant left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari and recalling pace bowler Steven Finn for Gareth Batty and Stuart Broad respectively.
Captain Cook said before the series that England would rest players during a particularly busy pre-winter schedule that sees them play seven Tests in nine weeks in Bangladesh and India.
I do not like rotating players and players earning England caps that they do not warrant.
My view is that, if you are playing a Test, you should pick best your team. However, on this crazy tour, I can see why they had to do it differently.
They had to give Finn some overs and they had to have a look at left-arm spinner Ansari before flying to India. They had no other option.
It will only get tougher...
If England do not lose 5-0 in India they will have played well. That is not being pessimistic; it is being entirely realistic.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has also predicted a whitewash if they do not improve.
India are top of the International Cricket Council rankings, external and will be playing in conditions that suit them. Given those two factors, England are absolutely up against it.
However, we have known that for months.
They do not play any warm-up games in India after flying straight from Bangladesh, and the lack of preparation before the first Test on 9 November is clearly going to be an issue. They are going to need lots of character and plenty of luck.
I cannot see Gary Ballance batting at number four in Rajkot. He is in no confidence at all after managing only 24 runs in four innings in Bangladesh.
But who is he going to give way to? Jos Buttler has barely played first-class cricket this summer and will not get any before a possible return to the Test side.
England have got three options: Jonny Bairstow moves up from seven to four and Buttler comes in lower down; Buttler takes Ballance's place at four; or Duckett moves to number four and the uncapped Haseeb Hameed opens the batting.
However, the Lancashire teenager has not had much cricket either. This schedule is not helping anyone.
England in India - Test schedule |
---|
9-13 Nov: 1st Test, Rajkot |
17-21 Nov: 2nd Test, Visakhapatnam |
26-30 Nov: 3rd Test, Mohali |
8-12 Dec: 4th Test, Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium) |
16-20 Dec: 5th Test, Chennai |
All Tests start at 04:00 GMT |
Good news for Bangladesh - and for Test cricket
Mehedi, the 19-year-old, had a massive impact on this series with 19 wickets, including six in England's collapse on Sunday.
He is a promising, exciting player who bowled very well in Chittagong and Dhaka, so we must give him credit.
Mehedi has no doosra. He is a traditional old-fashioned off-spinner with a nice trajectory and varies his pace well.
We have only seen him in conditions that have helped him, but he has shown a lot of character. He has taken on responsibility at a tender age and we will see plenty more of him.
Victory is also tremendous news for Bangladesh, who won only seven of their previous 94 Tests, external - against Zimbabwe and a weakened West Indies. They have clearly improved.
They have played very little Test cricket - the opening Test was their first since August 2015 - but when they play in conditions that suit them they are a force to be reckoned with. Their success is not only good news for them, but for Test cricket in general.
Victory will be celebrated enormously by the public. Although the crowds were less than 10,000, this was a huge event for Bangladeshis.
England were right to tour Bangladesh
We must not forget that England made a brave call coming out here despite security concerns. That decision has been fully vindicated.
It has been a strange series in that the players have been confined to their hotel and travelled to and from the ground in armed convoys.
You have to factor that into the outcome of the series. It has all been very alien for the tourists, but the players, management and Reg Dickason, England's security advisor, deserve a lot of credit.
Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport's Matthew Henry.
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