Siddons aims for more consistency

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RAJSHAHI UNIVERSITY: A partial view of the Central Science Laboratory equipped with high-end equipment and appliances. — FE photo

Bangladesh will make two changes to their side for the second Test against England in the city (Saturday), as their coach, Jamie Siddons, seeks a higher level of discipline with both bat and ball following their 181-run defeat in Chittagong last week, reports Cricinfo.
Their new-ball bowler, Shadahat Hossain, has been dropped to make way for Shafiul Islam, while Aftab Ahmed's place at No. 4 has been taken by the uncapped Jahurul Islam, who joined the squad on the eve of the first Test following Raqibul Hasan's shock "retirement" from international cricket.
"This was definitely a moment I have looked forward to since I became a cricket player. The dream of playing cricket at Test level has always been my chief motivation," said Jahurul.
"I have been in good form coming into the national team and I will take the confidence of the runs I had scored into the Test match."
Raqibul, meanwhile, is close to a return to the team from which he "retired" on the eve of the Chittagong Test, having spent the week talking to friends, family and team-mates, and Siddons was optimistic that a decision that he described last week as "rash and foolish" would soon be forgotten.
"We've spoken to him, but it is still up to a board decision to release him back to play," said Siddons. "That's not happening yet so he's left his run a little bit late. I would have had him back no problem but there's a few little delays happening. Hopefully we'll have him back for the England tour and the Asia Cup."
After a torrid start to the Chittagong Test, in which Bangladesh slumped to 51 for 3 after conceding a hefty 599 for 6 declared, the team settled down to produce three decent `s of Test cricket, with their batsmen amassing 627 runs across their two innings, while restricting England to 209 for 7 second time around. However, Siddons remains frustrated by such peaks and troughs, and wants an improved focus at Dhaka.
"The one thing we're aiming for is to be consistent," said Siddons. "All of our top order - apart from our No. 4 position - are centurions in Test cricket now, and they have all made them in the last four months.
But we're still having Mahmudullah making a fifty then nothing, Tamim [Iqbal] 80 then nothing, Shakib [Al Hasan] nothing then a score. To get scores of 400 you need more consistency than that.
"To make 630 over two innings against England was a reasonable effort, but we're still probably 150 short. Our players are all confident of performing at this level and they'll be confident of performing on that wicket.
We just need them to put it together in the same match. That's what England did to us, and it's what we need to do back to them if we want to be successful.
AFP adds: England will be looking to maintain their supremacy over Bangladesh as they aim to sweep the Test series with victory in the city in the second and final match starting today..
The tourists, who have already clinched the one-day series, are keen to complete a double under new captain Alastair Cook following their 181-run victory in the opening Test in Chittagong Tuesday.
"This is our last away Test before we go to Australia (for the Ashes)," said Cook. "We discussed the issue this week about what it means to play for England and wanting to win, and how big it is to win 2-0.
"We were 1-0 up going into the last Test in South Africa, but didn't finish the job (in the recent drawn series). We didn't perform to the standard we had set ourselves on that trip.
"They (Bangladesh) fought really hard and made it very tough for us in Chittagong. I expect the same over the next five days and we have to be at the top of our game."
Junaid Siddique scored a maiden Test century and Mushfiqur Rahim made a solid 95 to keep the England attack at bay for more than two sessions before off-spinner Graeme Swann finally ended Bangladesh's stubborn resistance.
England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Michael Carberry, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven Finn.
Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Jahurul Islam, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain.