With England’s tour of Bangladesh coming up later this month, Sport.co.uk has a look at the players who have a chance to repair, build and consolidate their reputations at international level.
Alastair Cook
With Strauss having some time off to rest his mind and body before this summer’s cricket, the voyage to Bangladesh is a huge opportunity for Cook. The Essex batsman will want to stamp his own authority on the England captaincy, and lead England to a test and one-day series whitewash over the whipping boys of world cricket.
Obviously Strauss will come back into the fold as captain, but if Cook wants to make sure he’s at the top of the queue after Strauss calls it a day, he’s going to have to prove to the selectors that he is a strong character on the field of play. Speaking of his temporary promotion, Cook recently remarked: “Obviously this is a short term role but it’s important I do things my way,” before admitting that he “won’t be a gambling captain as much” as Strauss. It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old’s batting will be affected by the captaincy, but if he can’t score big hundreds and captain against the lesser nations, the selectors may have second thoughts about his credentials as a future England captain.
Kevin Pietersen
The new Brylcreem boy is still regarded as England best player, despite his disappointing performances in the recent test series against South Africa. The last 18 months however, have been far from scintillating for Pietersen, who has been fired as England captain, and had persistent injury problems with a troublesome achilles injury.
Watching his England team-mates win the Ashes at the Oval last summer must have been a blow to Pietersen too, considering he was seen as one of the key reasons England regained the Ashes in 2005. With Bangladesh rock bottom of the ICC test rankings, the trip to South Asia is the perfect arena for KP to produce huge scores for his country. The retirement of Freddie Flintoff from test match cricket also opens the door for Pietersen to win over the hearts of the Barmy Army, and become that cult hero he yearns to be seen as.
Ajmal Shahzad
As Freddie Flintoff continues his rehabilitation, another all-rounder has the chance to make a name for himself in the international game. A graduate of the England performance squad, Ajmal Shahzad sees the tour to Bangladesh as a great way to prove himself. “I just want to show that I have got something different to offer in the bowling and the batting department.”
Last season, the Yorkshire all-rounder racked up 40 wickets, whilst scoring 445 runs for his county, justifying his case as a genuine all-rounder. Shahzad’s inclusion in the Bangladesh squad comes after a successful stint for the performance squad in South Africa. Andy Flower singled out the 24-year-old’s pace and desire to win as two key attributes that impressed him. Flower however lay down the gauntlet to Shahzad for the upcoming tour by saying: “How well he does will be determined by himself.”
James Tredwell
Named in the Bangladesh party as cover for Graeme Swann, off-spinner Tredwell will likely be called to play as a second spinner to exploit the dry and rough South Asian pitches. Tredwell, who was drafted into the England squad during the recent South African tour, is not new to international cricket either. The Kent player captained the England under-19 team in 2002.
Kent coach, Paul Farbrace is one of Tredwell’s biggest fans and firmly believes that he can only benefit from close contact with the England coaches. “They need to see him close-up so they can appreciate what a quality person he is,” he stated recently. With South Asian pitches renowned for offering assistance to spinners, there should be no shortage of opportunities for 27-year old Tredwell to make the most of his recent England call-up.
Steven Davies
Since Alec Stewart’s retirement from English cricket in 2003, the England management haven’t stopped tinkering with the wicket-keeper position. Surrey man, Davies is the latest to throw his hat into the ring as a potential candidate. At Warwickshire last season, the 23 year old was renowned during the Twenty20 cup for his explosive batting as an opener and tidy glove work.
Some might argue that Matt Prior is a fixture in the England side since the Sussex player has maintained a very respectful batting average of over 40 from 27 tests. As the England management seem keen to rest senior players whenever possible, Davies could soon find himself breaking his test duck in the humid and sticky conditions of Bangladesh.