Bangladesh v England talking points

27 October 2016 05:08

England will look to round off their tour of Bangladesh by sealing a 2-0 Test series victory in Dhaka.

The tourists drew first blood by winning the first contest in Chittagong but they were given a stern examination by the Tigers, who were playing their first Test in nearly 15 months and suffered an agonising 22-run defeat.

Here Press Association Sport looks at the main talking points ahead of the second and final Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium:

CAN ENGLAND'S TOP ORDER MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION?

England were three wickets down before 30 runs had been put on the board in both innings in Chittagong, putting immediate pressure on the middle order to bail them out. The reason why Jonny Bairstow has set a new record for the most Test runs in a calendar year by a wicketkeeper is because he has steadied England time and again after a top order collapse. In their last 42 innings, England have been four down before the 100 has been brought up 19 times and it must change if England are to at least put a fight in the Test series against India, which immediately follows the end of this tour.

CAN GARY BALLANCE REDISCOVER HIS EARLY ENGLAND FORM?

The player most vulnerable from the top order wilting at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was Gary Ballance, whose two single figure scores meant he has averaged just 22.77 in five Tests since being controversially recalled in the summer . The Yorkshireman has been given a stay of execution but will need to show the form that brought him four hundreds in his first 12 months as an international cricketer. He is regarded as a good player of spin but will need to prove it in Dhaka. Another failure, with Haseeb Hameed and Jos Buttler waiting in the wings, is unthinkable for the gritty left-hander.

ARE ENGLAND'S SPINNERS UP TO THE CHALLENGE?

Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Gareth Batty shared 12 wickets to play a big role in England's win but on a spinner's wicket, where the ball offered prodigious turn from the opening session, none of the trio were able to put the Bangladesh batsmen under significant pressure in the way that Mehedi Hasan - in the first innings - and Shakib Al Hasan - in the second - did for the Tigers while the tourists were batting. Moeen was a threat but expensive while Batty and Rashid also struggled to keep the run-rate in check. With tougher tests on the horizon, England - who have included Zafar Ansari in place of Batty - will be hoping for better from their slow bowlers.

IS THE PITCH LIKELY TO BE ANOTHER SPINNER'S PARADISE?

In all likelihood, yes. Two days out, a close-up inspection of the wicket revealed massive cracks throughout the surface and although downpours on Thursday morning and afternoon have prevented the pitch from baking, it is likely to be conducive to spin, if not from day one then certainly the longer the Test goes on, and no one should be complaining about that. Bangladesh's best chance of claiming their first Test win over England is on a slow turner while England are given the opportunity to play on wickets that will almost certainly greet them in India. And for the neutral? Well the opener was a thriller, so more of the same, please.

Source: PA