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The scorebook will record that England completed an easy walk over during their inaugural tour of the tenth and most recent nation to be admitted to Test cricket?s ranks.� England won the first Test by seven wickets and the second Test by 329 runs.
However, the Tests were not all one-way traffic for England.� Bangladesh was able to reach parity with England in each Test.� The Bangladeshi spinners were able to make England's middle order look fragile in each innings.� The batsmen were also able to frustrate the English attack from time to time.
The problem for Bangladesh was inconsistency.� While they won the middle session on both of the first two days during the second Test, Bangladesh could not maintain the pressure in following sessions.� Bangladesh could have put substantial pressure on England if they had batted through to lunch on the final day of the first Test - they lasted less than nine overs.
Bangladesh also failed to make the most from a losing position.� On the fourth morning of the second Test the match was lost.� Bangladesh could have used their second innings to occupy the crease with little pressure and practice batting under match conditions against a strong opponent.� Instead, the Bangladeshi batsmen threw away the opportunity through rash shots and stupid run outs.
Bangladesh will not grasp an elusive first victory until they find some consistency and make the most of the opportunities they have available.� Bangladesh has now played 26 Test without a victory, with only one draw in a rained out encounter with Zimbabwe.�
Bangladesh now passes India (24) to become the nation to play the second highest number of Tests without a victory.� Only New Zealand, who won their 45th Test, stands before Bangladesh.� However, New Zealand drew 22 of those Tests and thus Bangladesh?s record is far worse.
Bangladesh's rating has now dropped below the 800 rating-point threshold.� Their current rating of 797 points is the worst rating by any nation in 126 years of Test cricket.� That unfortunate occurrence comes after debuting 22 rating points below the previous worst ever rating of 902 rating points, set by New Zealand in July 1965.
Bangladesh would only need to draw one Test in each series to stop the slide in their rating.� Bangladesh remains in a remote tenth place, 92 ratings points behind an equally remote Zimbabwe, which is 126 points adrift of West Indies.� Bangladesh's next opportunity to reverse the downward spiral will be in the Caribbean in May when they face two Tests against West Indies.
England has improved their rating to 1078 points and they now trail third placed Pakistan by only three ratings points.� England currently holds its highest rating since May 1984.� England also holds a comfortable 38 ratings point lead over fifth placed New Zealand.
England moves on to a three Test tour Sri Lanka from early December.� The frailty in the middle order to spin will be of concern as they come up against Muralitharan on his home pitches.�
Sri Lanka is currently ranked seventh and lag 56 ratings points behind fourth placed England.� The difference, however, reflects Sri Lanka?s continuing struggles abroad to win Tests - they have not won any of their last eleven Tests away from home and drawn only three.� Sri Lanka has in contrast won eleven of their last 13 Tests at home and drawn the other two.
The latest Test cricket ratings are: 1. Australia (1241); 2. South Africa (1143); 3. Pakistan (1081); 4. England (1078); 5. New Zealand (1040); 6. India (1030); 7. Sri Lanka (1022); 8. West Indies (1015); 9. Zimbabwe (889); 10. Bangladesh (797).
