Should England be Stuffing the Banglas?

In Chittagong the England management and Cooky took it amidships for playing six bats and for not being gung ho enough with the declaration. Here they are taking it in the Gangulies again. This time for playing five bowlers and not batting like Sachin Tendulkar in a one day game.

The British writers are torn between:

1. Plucky, young and talented Bangladesh could pull off a stunning first win against England. England should treat them with respect.

2. England should be playing better cricket becuase they are better. But treating them with respect.

3. England should be playing really aggressive cricket against these useless youngsters who have no bowling machines or first class facilities.

All of this stuff is patronizing guff. The Bangladeshis have batted very well on a road and made 420. They then had us three down with not many on the board and two bats in who were staring down the barrel of a 300+ deficit with only Prior and a coulpe of sloggers to come with three and a half days to play. Can you imagine if England had followed on? The clamour for heads. The ridicule. The calls for the end of Bell and Trott. Rubbishing of Cook's credentials. Dear me. Okay Trotty made Chris Tavare and Boycs look like Yuvraj and Viv Richards in doing it but he's hardly England's Brian Lara at the best of times. Nobody minded when he ground it out agains the Aussies at The Oval...

All three scenarios patronize the Bangladeshis and show no understanding for the desperate situation that England were in. The very pressure put on them by the sentiment that they should roll sides like this is what causes the grind it out cricket. There's an almost desperate hope from some journalists (probably the same ones who don't like all the Saffas in the team and think Strauss and Anderson should be out there) that the wheels come off and England get embarrassed. Then the boredom would lift and they could write some really steamy words.

Already a few of them (and Goughie on Twitter) are bleating about this test being bad for the future of Test cricket and the IPL being more interesting on the other side. They might be right. But Wickman blames the Bangladeshis for this. Spice up the wicket (you're at home) and spunk up the dosh for UDRS. Then you might get a result. In the meantime you have to take the smooth with the smooth. Because there's no rough to bowl at...