Alastair Cook is pointing the way for England

Cook himself led the England march, batting through the first day with aplomb to finish on 158*. He had pushed the Bangladeshi bowling attack to its inconsiderable limits and even fired off two collectors’ items sixes – he now has four in Test cricket. Shakib was forced into using eight different bowlers on the first day and none of them really posed England any threat.

England handed debuts to Michael Carberry and Steven Finn as they opted for a four man bowling attack as they did in South Africa. Why they chose to do this is unclear – They only lost three wickets here today and there seems no urgent need for the extra batsman. The part-time off-breaks of Kevin Pietersen will surely utilised when it comes to bowling at the Bangladeshi’s, although James Tredwell can consider himself hugely unfortunate not to have been afforded a Test debut following a sterling effort against Bangadesh A. Thankfully for Pietersen, however, he has made the headlines for his work with the bat.

Yes he was dismissed by a slow left-armer (again) but he had seemingly cleared his head of the demons that had blighted his efforts so far on this tour to carve out a gutsy 99. That he failed to reach a richly deserved century was a travesty. It only takes one mistake and your number is up – and so it proved. Uncharacteristically for Pietersen he had decided to nudge his way towards three-figures once in the 90s, rather than flay the ball to the boundary to reach the landmark in a blaze of glory. A pre-determined shot into the on-side wasn’t on and Pietersen tripped over himself attempting to glide Abdur Razzak down to third man. The ball passed the outside edge and crashed into middle and off stumps. A dejected Pietersen had to trudge off knowing that a huge score had been there for the taking. It was good to see him back to his imperious best at times here though – even if it was against a lacklustre Bangladesh attack.

Carberry played some sumptuous strokes on his way to a debut score of 30 before misjudging a sweep against Mahmudullah to be trapped lbw in front of his off stump. He had just been given a life-line by wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim who dropped him off the same bowler, but Carberry couldn’t cash in, never looking overly comfortable against the spinners. A big debut score was missed out on.

Jonathan Trott took over from Carberry and set about constructing a careful innings worth 39 runs to the England cause. He was dismissed in unusual circumstances, being given out caught off his helmet. His disappointment was tangible. It was a rare ball that bounced from Rubel Hossain and Trott missed the attempted hook stroke in front of his face. The ball cannoned off his helmet and looped into the hands of the keeper. A muffled appeal saw umpire Tony Hill raise his index finger skywards, much to the chagrin of Trott. There are no referrals to be had here, unfortunately for Trott.

And so the focus falls on Captain Cook. He became the fifth England player to score a century on his debut as captain, following in the footsteps of Archie MacLaren, Allan Lamb, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. He hardly put a foot wrong and will be looking forward to batting again tomorrow, especially if the pitch flattens out across days two and three before breaking up as is being predicted by the local experts.

A maiden double ton for Cook, and for any Englishman against Bangladesh, beckons. Paul Collingwood will be with him on 32 and England will surely only have to bat once in this game. A brilliant day for Cook and England – an utterly miserable one for Shakib and Bangladesh. They will need to sharpen up their oft-woeful fielding and try to make runs harder to come by for the visitors.

By Miles Reucroft

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his era and arguably, of any era.

“Viv Richards could terrorise an attack with pitiless brutality, Lara could dissect bowlers with surgical and magical strokes, Tendulkar can take an attack apart with towering simplicity. From the start he had an uncanny way of executing his strokes perfectly. Tendulkar was born to bat,” once wrote Peter Roebuck, a highly respected cricket journalist.

Tendulkar is currently the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and One Day International cricket and recently became the first player ever to score a double ton in an ODI innings against a strong South Africa bowling attack.

The ‘little master’ continues to rack up the runs, passing 30,000 in international cricket at the end of November 2009 and surely it is only a matter of time before he becomes the first cricketer to score 100 international hundreds – he currently has 93.

The 36-year-old was only 16 when he made his Test debut and his determination to win was made apparent as he continued to bat, in a blood-soaked shirt after being struck on the mouth by Waqar Younis.

His first Test ton, a match-saving one at Old Trafford, came aged 17 and he had a staggering 16 Test hundreds before turning 25.

Considering the unrelenting pressure put upon his shoulders by his many followers, Tendulkar’s achievements cannot be underestimated. The great Don Bradman once paid Tendulkar the ultimate compliment when he told his wife the Indian star reminded him of himself.

There are more explosive players in the India squad, the likes of Mahendra Dhoni and Virender Sehwag, but in the twilight of his astonishing career, Tendulkar will be the most dangerous in the Caribbean.

His latest record-breaking knock (200no off 147 balls, which included 25 fours and three sixes against SA in Gwalior) shows that after 20 years he remains at the top of his powers.

Middlesex's Steven Finn could well be in line for a Test debut for England

The issue surrounding the bowling line-up depends upon how many bowlers England start with. During the recent tour of South Africa they fielded only four specialist bowlers. This was never a ploy that I was comfortable with since it left them short during those long and gruelling sessions in the South African sun when the pitch wasn’t offering much in the way of assistance. Should England stick with a four man attack the participants would most likely be Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, Graham Swann and Tim Bresnan.

Bresnan moved himself up the pecking order with some solid displays in the ODI series and some good bowling in the recent three day warm-up fixture against Bangladesh A. He also has the plus point of recent experience in the England Test team against West Indies at the start of the last English summer. Liam Plunkett has been inconsistent on this tour so far and seems unlikely to feature.

Should England go with a five man attack, however, then the selection becomes very interesting. With two spinners all but guaranteed to start, England will most likely need the support of three seamers. This would mean a debut for either Ajmal Shahzad or Steven Finn. Finn has impressed greatly since arriving here as emergency cover for Broad and Onions following the departure of Ryan Sidebottom from the tour, and posses great pace and bounce in his bowling. He was extremely economical in the recent warm-up fixture and must fancy his chances of earning a first Test cap that would have seemed so unlikely to him a couple of weeks ago. Shahzad offers the better option with the bat, but if the batsmen do their job as they should then the confidence must be placed in Finn.

In the absence of Strauss Michael Carberry has been called up. The Hampshire opener endured a torrid time against Bangladesh A and his place looks far from certain. Jonathan Trott is another who is comfortable opening the innings and his century at the weekend highlights a return to form from the Warwickshire man. If Trott opens then there is a vacant slot at the problem number three position which will most likely be filled by Ian Bell – a man who has hardly excelled in that position in the past.

I would expect England to go with a five man attack which means that one of the batsmen will have to move out. On this occasion I feel that Carberry will be the one omitted and that Trott will open with Cook, Bell to come in at three. As such, I think the England starting XI for the first Test on Friday will be:

1. Jonathan Trott
2. Alastair Cook
3. Ian Bell
4. Kevin Pietersen
5. Paul Collingwood
6. Matt Prior
7. Staurt Broad
8. Tim Bresnan
9. Graham Swann
10. James Tredwell
11. Steven Finn

I would personally play Swann at seven, but I believe that England will go with Broad in this position and Brsenan at eight. It would make a very strong lower-order for England as Tredwell is no ‘bunny’ with the bat either.

If Strauss were here to lead his team, as I firmly believe he should be, it would have been very interesting to see which batsman was moved out of the side. Would KP’s place have been in serious jeopardy or would it have been a straight selection between Trott and Bell? We’ll never know…

By Miles Reucroft

Kamran and Umar Akmal have also been fined about £20,000 and put on six month probations.

These decisions are the fallout from a terrible tour of Australia where Pakistan failed to win a single match, and Younis and Yousuf are being blamed for causing in-fighting within the squad and being a “bad influence” on the whole team.

The announcement was a bit of a shambles, as is typical of the PCB. The first statement said that the sanction didn’t quite amount to a life ban, and that although Younis and Yousuf would not play International cricket anymore, they were free to play at a lower level.

But then another statement claimed that this was not necessarily the end of their careers, and that they may still be considered for selection in the future.

The overriding reaction from the cricketing world has been one of confusion, and we’ll all be keeping an eye out from further news from the Pakistan camp. It will be interesting to see how their preparations for the World Twenty20 unfold over the next few weeks, and whether these decisions might actually have the opposite impact from that intended.

Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and fellow cricketer Adnan, came to prominence in 2007/08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and will be an important member of Pakistan’s team looking to defend their World T20 title.

After a sticky start to his maiden first-class season, Umar amassed 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Aam Trophy, at an average of 77.72. His aggressive approach saw him smash 248 off just 225 deliveries in only his sixth match, and he backed this up with an unbeaten 186 two games later.

Despite a poor second season, a string of good knocks ensured Umar was selected for the Pakistan A tour to Australia in June 2009. In two Test matches he notched up scores of 54, 100* and 130 to propel his career to the next level and during the following ODI series he smashed a century off 68 balls.

A call-up to the main Pakistan side was not far away and the 19-year-old bludgeoned a hundred in his third ODI against Sri Lanka, underlining his undoubted potential.

As far as Umar was concerned, the only way was up and his inevitable Test debut against New Zealand was one to remember. He became only the second Pakistani to score a hundred on debut away from home after Fawad Alam, scoring 129 from 160 balls. More notably, he became the first Pakistani batsman to score both his first Test and ODI tons away from home.

A natural stroke maker with aggressive intent, Umar’s best position is number five. He was promoted up the order to number three and although he counter-attacked, it was clear he felt inhibited higher up the order.

Akmal finished the New Zealand tour with 400 runs at an average of 57.14. With Umar continuing his rapid rise to stardom, the future of Pakistan cricket looks in safe hands and should the youngster turn on the style in the Caribbean, Pakistan will be hard to stop.

Mohammad Ashraful hasn't done enough to earn a Test recall

Chowdry scored a scarcely credible 91* from just 30 deliveries faced, prattling along at a strike rate of 303.33. He hit 10 fours and eight sixes along the way. His partner in crime, Mahmud, scored 66* from 17 balls; that’s a strike rate of 388.23 thanks to eight fours and six sixes. Only three of the deliveries he faced didn’t reach the boundary.

Bowlers of a nervous disposition look away now… Alastair Cook and Michael Carberry have 14 first class wickets between them. That tally wasn’t added to during the declaration slog-fest as Carberry bowled four overs, took no wickets and went for 78 runs. A healthy economy rate of just 19.5 runs per over. It seems healthy, at least, when compared to Captain Cook’s figures of five overs bowled, no wickets taken, 111 runs conceded at an almighty 22.2 runs per over. These are the sort of afternoons afforded by first class cricket that are simply not seen at Test level.

Besides this quirky passage of play all eyes were on the headline acts on either side; Mohammad Ashraful for Banlgadesh A and Kevin Pietersen for England. Neither shone, although Ashraful picked up three wickets and scored a watchful 30. It was announced shortly after he had had his timber rearranged by Ajmal Shahzad, however, that Ashraful had not done enough to be recalled into the Bangladesh Test squad. His final act, probably of this series, was to dismiss Pietersen for 20.

Pietersen’s place in the side for the first Test commencing on Friday isn’t under any threat. He has been a totemic figure for England in the past but we will never know just how much the whole captaincy fiasco affected him. This tour should have been an opportunity for him to cut loose and find his destructive rhythm and mindset once more. Instead he has returned 69 runs in seven innings in Bangladesh and has continued to struggle against, and I’ll be polite here, average left-arm spin (Shakib Al Hasan excluded). The only relief for him in the second innings of this fixture was that he was dismissed by Ashraful – a right-arm spinner.

Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and the selection panel have much food for thought going into Friday’s Test. The fitness of Stuart Broad and Graham Onions will be key to selection and it will be interesting to see how that particular saga plays out. They also have much thinking to do about the opening partner to Cook. Carberry didn’t excel himself here, but it may well be judged that he is worth taking a closer look at, although Jonathan Trott pushed his case with a fluent century yesterday. Check back tomorrow when we’ll have a stab at guessing the England XI for Friday.

By Miles Reucroft

Jonathan Trott's century is a timely return to form for England

Michael Carberry, the Hampshire batsman who is being widely tipped to replace Andrew Strauss at the top of the order in the first Test on Friday, managed just five runs. The biggest concern for England in the batting department right now, however, is undoubtedly Kevin Pietersen. The former captain made just two runs here, being dismissed by Mehrab Hossain jnr. No prizes for guessing Hussain jnr’s bowling action, either – slow left-arm. The miserable pattern continues.

Concerns abound with the Bangladeshi batting department too, as ex-captain Mohammad Ashraful mustered a solitary run as he tries to press his claims for a recall to the Test team. He fell victim to the highly impressive James Tredwell. The Kent off-spinner finished with pleasing figures of 6-95 as the hosts were dismissed for 202. He will surely play in tandem with Graham Swann during the first Test.

There were also two wickets for Middlesex seamer Steven Finn who was called up to the Test squad this week as cover for Stuart Broad and Graham Onions following the departure from the tour of Ryan Sidebottom. It could prove essential to England that Finn is in good rhythm come Friday.

At the time of writing Bangladesh A are back out batting on 31/0. Tredwell will no doubt be licking his lips and will be desperate for four more wickets to make it 10 for the match. Pietersen too, will be willing his team mate on to claim those wickets and quickly, so that he can have another go out in the middle. Unfortunately this fixture appears to be throwing up more questions than solutions for Alastair Cook and England. Please feel free to check back tomorrow for the result.

By Miles Reucroft

Alastair Cook has enjoyed a sterling start to his captaincy

A maiden century from Craig Kieswetter atop the order set England on their way to a comfortable 45 run victory. The bowling of Tim Bresnan, who collected career best figures of 4-28 from his nine overs, helped to blow the Bangladeshi batting order away. There were glimpses of talent and recovery in the Bangladesh middle order as Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Mahmudullah all got off to decent starts, but the strike rates of Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Mahmudullah were painfully slow. Naeem Islam took time that he didn’t have, too.

The Bangladeshi team are learning, but it is a long and winding road ahead. For England, they will look to capitalise on this winning feeling and roll through the opposition in the two Tests. The discovery of Kieswetter has been a bonus and his 107 today really set England on their way. Eoin Morgan, too, is continuing his development into a fine player and top scored in this series, deservedly being nominated Man-of-the-Series.

The form of Kevin Pietersen is an ongoing concern and, all too predictably, he fell to the slow left-arm of Abdur Razzak. All three of his dismissals in this series have been to slow left-arm spin. It will be very interesting to see how he copes during the Test series.

The Tests are the next goal for England, and if the ODI series is anything to go by, it should be a comfortable stroll for Alastair Cook and England.

By Miles Reucroft

The highly-publicised Indian Premier League begins next week and there are some huge names from the world of cricket involved: Matthew Hayden, AB de Villiers, Brett Lee, Ravi Bopara, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to name just a few.

We are running a fun and free predictions competition on SportGuru, so get involved in the league and take us on. Be warned though, it’s mightily addictive!

Here are the details:

Tournament: IPL 2010
Link: www.sportguru.co.uk/ipl
Code: fleabile
Prize: Bragging Rights (but we’ll try and sort something else out as well)

Shakib Al Hasan is pulling his team in the right direction

The ODI series between Bangladesh and England has been won by England already, but the hosts will be desperate to avoid a whitewash in the final fixture tomorrow. England is the only major International side that Shakib Al Hasan’s side is yet to beat. They came within touching distance on Tuesday only to be thwarted by a magnificent innings from Eoin Morgan. With the pressure off, Bangladesh could finally overcome their English hurdle.

There is much to be pondered in the English dressing room, too. Kevin Pietersen will be desperate for a decent innings here, as will new boy Craig Kieswetter. Having got his debut out of the way, James Tredwell will be looking for his first International wicket, although he came very close on Tuesday. Luke Wright will be looking for wickets and runs too, and the whole team will want to polish off the series in style.

The only pressure facing either side now is that to perform. The Bangladeshi’s will be hugely disappointed that they have so far failed to put England to the sword with magnificent individual performances being delivered by Tamim Iqbal, Naeem Islam and some solid bowling from their spinners.

Unfortunately for the hosts winning is an art that can only be learnt through, well, winning. They lack a ruthless streak at the moment although Shakib is pulling his side in the right direction. On their day they can be a match for anyone in the world, but consistency is King and they haven’t found the magic formula just yet. For this reason I’m going to predict a comfortable victory tomorrow for England as I think the Bangladeshi’s will be deflated by the conclusion to the second ODI. Some runs for KP would be long overdue and serve as a welcome bonus, but I can see him being dismissed by a slow left-armer for the third and final time this series…

By Miles Reucroft