International Test Series – Bangladesh vs England

Spin is always going to play a part in any match played in Bangladesh, the low slow turning wickets can be torture for any quick bowler.

But the spinners may play second fiddle to medium pacers and the fast men when England heads to Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka for the second and final test of this series.

Cricket Series Odds:
Friday, March 19, 11pm
Bangladesh +1200
Draw +300
England –350

Proof of this fact is India’s Zaheer Khan has become the leading wicket taker at this ground in just two Tests with 17 scalps. Bangladesh right arm quick Shahadat Hossain has 13 scalps and the top 10 is littered with the likes of Dale Steyn and home boy Mashrafe Mortaza.

That means Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan, England’s top bowlers and rookie Steven Finn, should get among the wickets and save the shoulder of first test hero Graeme Swann who grabbed his first 10-wicket haul in Test match cricket.

Swann’s heroics couldn’t be emulated by his Bangladesh counterparts Shakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak who bowled plenty of overs for paltry returns sharing three wickets in the first innings before bouncing back in the second dig to take six between them in just 26 overs.

Truth be told though, after England posted 6(dec)/599 on the back of 173 from captain Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood’s 145, the visitors were always going to be chasing quick runs in the second innings to ensure enough time to secure a victory.

Bangladesh did well to get 296 on the board, the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium pitch in Chittagong flatter than any road England players have driven on this tour.

When England declared for a second time in this Test with a lead of 513 and with Bangladesh spinners al Hasan and Razzak taking a bulk of the wickets the decision to bowl Swann for almost 50 overs was justified.

Junaid Siddique’s 106 at number three and Mushfiqur Rahim’s 95 was almost enough for Bangladesh to sneak away with a draw but Swann saw to it to break the 160-plus run partnership and the rest was history.

This series has had little in the way of a challenge for England except for perhaps on how to prevent sunburn and insect bites.

Their batsmen have plundered the bowling attack of Bangladesh and in return, their bowlers haven’t been challenged by partnerships or batsmen they couldn’t dismiss without a bit of thought.

This test should be easy going for England while Bangladesh has a chance to improve at the highest level in the traditional form of the game.

Their future as an international side of repute depends on them learning lessons each time they take to the field against top quality opposition like England.

This test offers plenty of easy money for bettors.

Sign up HERE to start winning some cash today!