KP then failed again with just 20 - should keep his place in the Test side as the 3rd spinner ahead of Cook!

It's a cheap headline but I don't think they are including a plethora of left arm spinners just to target KP, as he is geting out to part timers. This is how the squad always looks and its just that the talent pool they have contains a lot of spinners and not too many seamers - this squad has 3 RM & RMF, 2 OB & 3 SLA but all the specialist bats bowl occasion spin too. I'm sure that some commentators would call them a team of bits and pieces cricketers.

From memory Indian sides of 30 years ago looked exactly the same and the spin battery would be on within the first hour. Until the modern era the atitude must have been who wants to run 40 yards flat out in this climate and then get little help from the pitch?

More (slightly overly candid - you're not on twitter now!) stuff from Swann on the the ECB last week

Quote:

The Tigers' approach to spin is one which excites Swann, though he admits he is unsure whether he will still be playing a lone hand for the tourists in tomorrow's second ODI in Mirpur. "I'm not sure how we'll view it, I'm still not privy to the thoughts of the higher echelons of our hierarchy," said Swann. "In my view, I'd play four or five spinners like Bangladesh do. It's brilliant the way they play their cricket here. "But we played very well in the first match and the team we went in with worked very well. "Having won I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't any changes but if another spinner is brought in, I don't think that would be a great shock either."

They're certainly not going to get fined for a slow over rate.

It's going to be a wierd looking England team whatever happens.

So much for emerging middle-order batsman Raqibul Hasan who made the couple of more than useful scores in the just completed A fixture vs England.

He was named in the squad (and almost certain to play with the dropping of Ashraful) but has bewilderingly announced his immediate international retirement on the eve of the test at age 22

Who would want Siddons job...

Re. Zim in WI - didn't think too much of Graeme Cremer's performance yesterday in any of the disciplines - we know he is being monitored by a few counties.

Also can see why Durham don't want Chanderpaul back - scored at a snails pace

Very odd team selection from England, only going with one spinner and giving Finn his debut.

Had to grin watching KP's innings, he did bat really well, getting his way back into form, then gets bowled for 99.
Unlucky, but he can be pleased with that.
Also good to see Captain Cook piling up the runs at a good rate

The pitch looks dead though, so will be interesting to see how we fare when bowling

Does Tredwell miss out because they absolutely had to find a spot for Bell, and was this strategy because of a fear that Pietersen was a walking wicket? A batsman heavy for me.

AC has delivered, KP has delivered, now IB has to follow suit (but then again he'll probably be coming in at 474 for 4)

What are the chances of this attack taking 20 wickets?

The Kent board are furious with the selection - the gist being that if Tredwell took 6 wickets on the pitch immediately to the left or right of this which had received inferior preparation and still can't get a game then he never will.

Plain sailing for Captain Cook

Well the Tigers left arm spinners did get their man but have both conceded 100 runs in the process and gone at nearly 4 an over - can we expect a declaration when Colly gets his 100?

please?

And departed

Bangladesh can hold their own in the shorter forms but seem to play with an ODI mentality regardless of the format, wicket or match situation. Both batsmen that got in have scored at a SR of 70-80 and the RR is now 4.2 having been up at 5 to 5.5 against the seamers. Have to admire them for going toe to toe and playing their shots but its no way to consolidate when you have been 13-1, 27-2 & 51-3. They can't be that unaccustomed to tests and being in this position that they don't have a plan to bat beyond 50 overs?

Actually I was doing them a bit of an injustice there - in completed innings vs England their par score is 193 all out in 65 overs - a run rate of 2.9. This includes a painfully slow 255 all out made in 107 overs in the very first test at home in 2003.

Double post

Tredwell in at the expense of Carberry

Bangladesh 108-1 from 15 overs (RR has been as high as 7.5)

Who said they only knew how to play 50 over cricket?

They can play T20 too

Thats 1000 test runs up for Shakib @ 31.3 in his 19th match

Bangladesh 237-5

Our boy Shakib still there on 34 n.o.

Gone for 49 and keeps his test average around 30. It's going to be very interesting to see what kind of contibution he makes in the CC. He's bound to do well in the 40 over game.

Hope when he comes over to us he works on his sweeping