If we’re to be honest about it, whether or not England stick with the tried and true four-man bowling attack and whether they opt to take a second spinner into the second Test against Bangladesh, it’s hard to see Alastair Cook’s side losing this one.
As dogged in defence as Bangladesh was as the sunset on day four at Chittagong, and all the way through the wicketless morning session, once centurion Junaid Sidd was dismissed in the second over after lunch, the home side crumbled.
The question now for England is whether the rewards for their labours in the field will arrive faster should Kent’s James Tredwell be slotted into the side to assist Graeme Swann in the slow-bowling department.
Indeed, on the eve of the second Test, the decision of whether Tredwell should be included in the England XI seems to be the main selection headache for team director Andy Flower and his colleagues.
Swann, clearly more effective than the pacemen at Chittagong, was handed the majority of the workload by Cook and was rewarded with the first 10-wicket haul of his Test career. And with the chance the pitch at Dhaka will offer something for the spinners, the temptation to provide the 30-year-old off-spinner with some slow-bowling support has to be tempting for England.
Chances are though, that wouldn’t come at the expense of a batsman and the traditional four-man bowling attack would be maintained. You’d imagine if that’s the route England are going to take, Stuart Broad’s position in the side would be safe, despite his limited impact on the first Test. It would then become a choice between Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn, and despite the praise the towering 20-year-old earned after his debut Test ay Chittagong, it might be a case of last in, first out for Finn if England decides to go with two spinners.
It remains a big “if” though, and there’s a convincing case to be made in the old argument that if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. England got across the line last time, and that may be reason enough for those 11 men to take their places in the second, and final, Test of the series.
Certainly, England’s batting line-up will remain unchanged. Michael Carberry did enough on debut to ensure he’ll stand in as opener for the rested Andrew Strauss for one more match; and Kevin Pietersen’s 99 has relieved a build-up of pressure on the flamboyant batsman, who showed signs that he is starting to sort out his game against the left-arm spinners.
The one obvious weakness in England’s batting attack is the No. 3 slot, which is currently filled by Jonathan Trott but this South African-born batsman has struggled to make the position his own since earning the promotion against the Proteas. Ian Bell though, relieved of No. 3 batting duties, has slotted in comfortably as England’s No. 6 and the middle order combination of Bell and Paul Collingwood is a proving to be a strong one.
Add to that the skipper’s fine form at the top of the order and England’s batting attack looks like it will be able to absorb almost all that Bangladesh can bowl at it.
Credit must go to the Tigers for clawing their way into the fifth day of the Chittagong Test, but regardless of the composition of England’s bowling attack or the changes Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons might make as he searches for a more consistent performance from his charges in the second Test, it remains difficult to imagine England’s perfect record against the team will suffer its first blemish at Dhaka.
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