*Official* Bangladesh in England

[flibbertyjibber]

This.

Bangladesh wouldn't have in all probability got past 250 if they decided to grind out. They simply don't possess such batsmen and if defending is not your core strength, don't resort to it just because "tradition" says so.

This,other than Siddique they don't have a player happy to bat for a long time and just accumulate.Well they do but they dropped Naeem Islam anyway.

 

[NasserFan207]

He batted for 100 balls which is in itself creditable effort. But I agree, he could've carried on. But then, am not sure whether he would've lasted half that number of deliveries if he opted to block premeditated. It doesn't reduce anything from the significance of that innings. A real gem. It is one to be admired and not inspected closely just to find traces of mud and condemn.

Nah, I don't really care how many pretty boundaries he hit. His team lost, heavily. And they always lose. And Tamim is by far their best player (21 or not). Talent isn't just about playing attacking shots you know, at least in test cricket. Its also about survival and temperament.

Look, I'm not blaming a 21 year old for playing like a 21 year old, but I disagree with the people who say 'Oh, he should obviously keep playing like that all the time. Run a ball 50s and 100s put the opponent on the back foot.' Well they don't, because as soon as tamim gets out, bangladesh seem to physically wilt. Tamim sets the tone, and the other batsman try to follow it, except they aren't good enough.

Like I say, I wouldn't blame him, but I'd definitely encourage him to change his outlook. He needs to adapt to situations eventually.

 

[pasag]

Nah, I don't really care how many pretty boundaries he hit. His team lost, heavily. And they always lose. And Tamim is by far their best player (21 or not). Talent isn't just about playing attacking shots you know, at least in test cricket. Its also about survival and temperament.

Look, I'm not blaming a 21 year old for playing like a 21 year old, but I disagree with the people who say 'Oh, he should obviously keep playing like that all the time. Run a ball 50s and 100s put the opponent on the back foot.' Well they don't, because as soon as tamim gets out, bangladesh seem to physically wilt. Tamim sets the tone, and the other batsman try to follow it, except they aren't good enough.

Like I say, I wouldn't blame him, but I'd definitely encourage him to change his outlook. He needs to adapt to situations eventually.

Not his fault the rest of the side are crap, he put them in the best possible position to do something with the match. If he would have stuck around without scoring as Vic said, when he eventually did get out they would have lost by an innings. What would that have accomplished?

I think we've seen a few sides come to Aus in the past few years thinking the best solution is stonewall, but unless you're amazing at it (eg Chanderpaul), basically you allow the fielding side to play the waiting game ie we have time to wait till you get out because you're not scoring runs anyways, so not a lot of damage is being done.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

I think we've seen a few sides come to Aus in the past few years thinking the best solution is stonewall, but unless you're amazing at it (eg Chanderpaul), basically you allow the fielding side to play the waiting game ie we have time to wait till you get out because you're not scoring runs anyways, so not a lot of damage is being done.

Yeah i agree,look at the counter attack by Nash during the last Aussie summer,for a time it looked like they may record an improbable victory and the Aussie bowling looked ragged.If Nash had just tried to block it out Australia would still have won but without the heartstopping moment when it looked like they may be throwing away the win.Better to go down fighting than with a whimper.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Bresnan injured and replaced by Sidebottom.Good god.They better play Shahzad as we all know Sidebottom isn't good enough for the ashes but Shahzad we know nothing about.

 

[Pup Clarke]

There is no reason why someone as talented as Tamim shouldn't be capable of batting time if he needs to.

Rubbish, you make it sound as though anyone can just bat time. It's a skill in itself and only a handful of players in world cricket can do this, and it's not something that is just going to happen to Tamim's batting overnight.

 

[Hurricane]

Bowling wise, Bangladesh are probably the worst test nation I've ever seen or heard off. Not up to standard at all, and they really need to do something about it.

I'd rather watch a weak test nation with poor batting than poor bowling. At least with a good attack you feel like they always may have a slight chance.

If they had the bowling attack of Australia but weak batting then they might cause the other team to collapse for 200 or 250 or so in one inning. But if Bangers then only post 120 or 140 the game is going to be over in 4 days. At least with good batting the games are making it to the 5th day. I prefer them being better at batting if they can only be good at one discipline.

That said I didn't see the game so I am sure that some of the seam bowling must have been painful to watch.

 

[wpdavid]

In other news, Bresnan's out for a while with a stress fracture of the foot. So presumably there's either a debut for Shazhad or a recall for Sidebottom on Friday. Or an earlier than expected return for Broad.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

In other news, Bresnan's out for a while with a stress fracture of the foot. So presumably there's either a debut for Shazhad or a recall for Sidebottom on Friday. Or an earlier than expected return for Broad.

Squads been announced.Sidebottom in,hope and pray Shahzad gets a chance as Sidebottom is useless in the longer game.

 

[wpdavid]

Squads been announced.Sidebottom in,hope and pray Shahzad gets a chance as Sidebottom is useless in the longer game.

Agreed - and I've just spotted your previous post which I managed to miss last time. Thing is, what does one game on a helpful track against Bang tell us about anyone? I could see the point in giving Bres & Finn a two-game shoot-out to see who should be our 3rd seamer against Pakistan and maybe beyond, but thye might as well have brought back Broad for this one imo.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

When did Sidebottom get useless at the longer game? Has he lost some nip? He was leading the attack a while back and doing it well.

 

[Uppercut]

Rubbish, you make it sound as though anyone can just bat time. It's a skill in itself and only a handful of players in world cricket can do this, and it's not something that is just going to happen to Tamim's batting overnight.

Well he's definitely capable of lasting more than 97 balls. You really shouldn't be getting out caught at fine leg in that particular match situation. I think there's a bit of a double standard with regards to Tamim. When Alastair Cook skied a pull shot to midwicket when England were trying to save a match against South Africa he was slaughtered on here, and the aerial pull shot is almost as integral a part of Cook's game as the nick to first slip. And unlike Bangladesh here, England had an outside chance of winning that game.

There's no need to completely shut up shop, you take the runs that are on offer, and the definition of that varies from one batsman to another. But Tamim's optimal scoring rate surely isn't over 100- no one's is- so he was playing unnecessarily aggressively, as though quick runs were a priority. And given how he got out, the concept of putting the opponent on the back foot loses some credibility. There's no point putting slip-catchers back on the boundary if you're going to try to clear them anyway.

 

[Sir Alex]

Well he's definitely capable of lasting more than 97 balls. You really shouldn't be getting out caught at fine leg in that particular match situation. I think there's a bit of a double standard with regards to Tamim. When Alastair Cook skied a pull shot to midwicket when England were trying to save a match against South Africa he was slaughtered on here, and the aerial pull shot is almost as integral a part of Cook's game as the nick to first slip. And unlike Bangladesh here, England had an outside chance of winning that game.

There's no need to completely shut up shop, you take the runs that are on offer, and the definition of that varies from one batsman to another. But Tamim's optimal scoring rate surely isn't over 100- no one's is- so he was playing unnecessarily aggressively, as though quick runs were a priority. And given how he got out, the concept of putting the opponent on the back foot loses some credibility. There's no point putting slip-catchers back on the boundary if you're going to try to clear them anyway.

You don't "plan" to play at such a strike rate beforehand. It's just that players like Sehwag, Tamim etc are inherently aggressive and impulsive by nature. If they plan and premeditate then that would cause their downfall than playing instinctively. There is nothing like "unnecessarily aggressive" here. He wasn't slogging but playing good cricketing strokes laced with no unnatural risk. I suspect anyone would've criticised had he got bowled/caught behind but for me that is more unforgivable after a batsman has set than a dismissal off an attacking shot. I cannot imagine any sane batsman hitting a few boundaries and then deciding "Well, I am way overshot my career SR, let me shut shop for some time and let things get back to normalcy".

Sehwag had interesting points on this some days back. I cannot get the exact article, but basically he was lamenting how he'd be lambasted if he hit one in the air and got caught at short cover, while he won't be if he nicked one to the slips, regardless of the fact that he had actually timed the ball well in the first case.

I would've lambasted Tamim had he tried to play unnaturally and ending up nicking behind after scoring 20-30 off 90 balls.

 

[four_or_six]

Tamim did say yesterday he'd like to have a few sessions with Boycott on defensive play...

A shame to see Bresnan's injured, although maybe it may provide some explanation as to why he wasn't bowling that well. We're a bit light on quick bowlers atm with Onions out too and having just lost Flintoff and Harmison. It's going to be an interesting summer to see who manages to get themselves on the plane to Australia. So far I'd think only Jimmy and Broad are actual certainties, with Finn also likely.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I think that people are debating things that didn't happen to add strength to points that aren't really there to make.

Tamim's innings was, for the most part, appropriate to the situation. They were never going to bat long enough in their second dig to prevent England beginning their run chase: they needed to strike a balance between runs and balls. A good case of this was the way he played Swann (taking him on over midwicket when the men were in, and then being content to work singles after the field went back).

Going for a hook shot against a 6'7" fast bowler when there is deep square leg and long leg back on the boundary is, however, not a percentage call in almost any situation, and it really wasn't a smart way to get out.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

When did Sidebottom get useless at the longer game? Has he lost some nip? He was leading the attack a while back and doing it well.

Have you not seen his test performances in the last 2 years then?

Once his new ball spell is over he is knackered and his pace drops dramatically and he doesn't look like getting a wicket either.If you think that standard is good enough then more fool you.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Kinda disagree, by racing towards the lead he put England on the backfoot, got rid of the deficit and put Bangladesh in a position of power when things were looking pretty gloomy for them. The more runs they made the longer England would have had to take chasing them down.

Yeah, think this is about spot on. With Bangla's pace attack whatever lead they got was unlikely to prove overly taxing, but 160 has been defended in a 4th innings more than once. Blame the seamers for serving pies.

 

[Prince EWS]

Bresnan injured and replaced by Sidebottom.Good god.They better play Shahzad as we all know Sidebottom isn't good enough for the ashes but Shahzad we know nothing about.

Hate this attitude. Just because you've never seen someone play a Test doesn't mean they are a complete unknown. You can take a lot (not everything, but a lot) from how he's gone in county cricket.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Hate this attitude. Just because you've never seen someone play a Test doesn't mean they are a complete unknown. You can take a lot (not everything, but a lot) from how he's gone in county cricket.

True but he has only had one full season of that and improved as it went on.How good he is/could end up being is unknown and does he have the mentality to succeed at the highest level,we won't know till he plays there.

 

[Top_Cat]

I would've lambasted Tamim had he tried to play unnaturally and ending up nicking behind after scoring 20-30 off 90 balls.

This is where the misunderstanding is; no-one's saying he should have shut-up shop. Largely in line with what UC said.