Daunting debut in prospect On Thursday, the fledgling cricketers of Bangladesh provide an exotic hors d'oeuvre to an enthralling Ashes summer, as their inaugural Test series in England gets underway at Lord's. After a run of seven wins out of seven in their home campaign in 2004, defeat for England is unthinkable against a side that has lost 31 of its 36 Tests to date, and Bangladesh's recent innings defeat against Sussex implies that the result could be horribly one-sided. But for Bangladesh, this trip is all about building for the future, and considering that their squad has an average age of 21, they will be happy if just one of two of their young players can make a name for themselves in the coming weeks. As their coach, Dav Whatmore, has said, to take the match into a fifth day would be an achievement. Click here for more England v Bangladesh coverage
England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Ian Bell, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Steve Harmison Bangladesh (probable) 1 Javed Omar, 2 Nafees Iqbal, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Habibul Bashar (capt), 5 Aftab Ahmed, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim, 7 Khaled Mashud (wk), 8 Mohammad Rafique, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Shadahat Hossain, 11 Enamul Haque jr
In and Out - The Cricinfo form guide Your guide to who's hot and who's not ahead of the first Test
Mushfiqur Rahim Not an original member of the Bangladeshi squad, 16-year-old Rahim was a last-minute inclusion as wicketkeeping back-up for Khaled Mashud, but has made an irresistible case for inclusion with a pair of bold batting performances - a half-century at Hove, followed by a career-best 115 not out at Northampton. Steve Harmison Three months of R and R in his beloved North-East have worked wonders for Steve Harmison, who has begun the season for Durham with the sort of menace that was so lacking during his miserable tour of South Africa this winter. Ominously for Bangladesh, his first and only appearance against them produced nine wickets on a dead track in Dhaka.
Andrew Strauss Harmison may be rejuvenated, but for England's star in SA, Andrew Strauss, the season has not begun so auspiciously. Another failure against Gloucestershire on Sunday took Strauss's tally for the season to 168 runs in 12 innings, somewhat shy of the 1246 runs he has gleaned in his 12 Tests to date. Habibul Bashar A lot rests on Bangladesh's captain and leading run-scorer, but his preparation for Lord's was dented - quite literally - when he clocked a blow on the helmet during the defeat against Sussex and had to retire for stitches in his forehead. The perpetrator was the aging left-armer, Jason Lewry, which doesn't bode well for his prospects against Harmison and Co.
Matthew Hoggard Bangladesh have played in most conditions in their five years as a Test nation, but the one big question mark against them is their techniques on a genuine English seaming wicket. And in Matthew Hoggard, England have one of the best bowlers in the world to exploit the late-May conditions at Lord's. He is at the top of his game as well, as his 12 wickets at Johannesburg recently demonstrated
Lord's Playing in a Test at Lord's - still widely regarded as the home of cricket - the pinnacle of many a cricketer's career. Despite a recent building programme, Lord's remains a cricket ground unlike the largely impersonal stadiums many other leading venues have become. The ground is privately owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club (membership 18,000), is the home to the ECB and, from 1909 to 2005, the ICC.
The dominant structure is the terracotta pavilion, built in 1890 and still one of world sport's most recognisable structures.The main grandstand was built more than a century later - in 1997.
The far end - the Nursery - is enclosed by the Compton and Edrich Stands, a pair of low-level two-tier stands built in 1990 which are remarkably similar to those they replaced (which were known as the Free Seats on account of them being available to those who had paid the basic ground admission - entry to other areas required extra payment).
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May 25, 2005, 07:03 AM
Cricinfo Newsletter: the preview
Playing in a Test at Lord's - still widely regarded as the home of cricket - the pinnacle of many a cricketer's career. Despite a recent building programme, Lord's remains a cricket ground unlike the largely impersonal stadiums many other leading venues have become. The ground is privately owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club (membership 18,000), is the home to the ECB and, from 1909 to 2005, the ICC. 
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