5 things which happened to England cricket since Gareth Batty last played a match

Gareth Batty is making a comeback after 11 years

As England get ready to take on Bangladesh in the first Test of the 2 Test series, they will look to emulate their success of the ODI series where they beat the sub-continent side 2-1. England have recalled the services of 38-year-old Gareth Batty who will be making a return to international cricket after 11 years.

Interestingly, Batty played his last match against Bangladesh itself way back in 2005 where he took 1 wicket in the 2nd innings after not bowling in the first. He has not enjoyed any success with the national side having taken just 11 wickets in 7 Tests at a low average of 66.

He was selected due to his good performance in the previous domestic season where he picked up 41 wickets.Considering the nature of the sub-continent pitches, England have given a lot of importance to their spin-bowling arsenal, that already has the likes of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.

The first Test begins tomorrow at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Bangladesh.

#5 England have had 4 Test captains

Pieterson has been involved in a lot of controversies with the ECB

Since Batty’s last Test way back in 2005, the England cricket team have had 4 captains over 11 years namely Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Strauss and the current captain Alastair Cook.

Strauss enjoyed reasonable success captaining the English side to 26 wins in 51 matches in charge. Flintoff had a short, unforgettable stint as captain where England managed to win only 2 out of the 11 Tests he was in charge.

Kevin Pieterson had an even shorter stint as he captained the side only for 3 Tests and 9 ODIs. He retired from the game in 2012 following a dispute with the coach and the England Cricket Board. Although he retracted his retirement soon after, his relationship with the ECB and teammates took a turn for the worse, and he has not featured for England since then.

Alastair Cook who is the captain of the current Test side has been in charge for 52 test matches. He also is the highest ever run getter for the England side having amassed 10000 plus runs.

#4 Graeme Swann played 60 tests and retired

Swann was at the helm of England’s success from 2008-13

One of England’s most successful off-spinners of all time made his Test debut in 2008 and retired after 5 years.

Swann had made his international debut in 2000 in an ODI against South Africa but was made to wait 8 years to cement his place in the team. He took 255 wickets in 60 test matches at an average of 29.

In December 2009 he became the first English cricketer to take 50 wickets in a calendar year. He also rose to No 3 in the world rankings in that year. He was named as ECB Cricketer of the Year in 2010 and was part of the English team which became the world no. 1 in 2011.

He prematurely retired in 2013 despite being on top of his game.

#3 Stuart Broad went from being a zero to a hero

One of the six sixes Yuvraj hit off Broad in the ICC World T20 in 2007

The inaugural T20 World Cup was held in South Africa in 2007 where India were crowned champions after a nail-biting finish against Pakistan in the final.

On the road to the final, India faced off against England in their group stage match. As India were cruising with the bat, Yuvraj Singh decided to take things to another level as he smashed Stuart Broad for 6 sixes off 6 balls and helped India reach a total of 218 in 20 overs.

Fast forward to 2016 and Yuvraj Singh has been dropped from the Indian team due to his poor performances over the past year or so whereas Stuart Broad has cemented his place in the England Test team due to his consistent performances.

#2 England won The Ashes five times

England have enjoyed immense success at the Ashes

Since Batty’s last match which was one month before the 2005 Ashes, England went on to win the Ashes 5 out of 7 times. Before that, England had not won the ashes for 16 years.

The 2005 success spurred them on, and their success rate at the most historic event in cricket increased. Out of their 5 victories. 4 came at home and one away, down under in the 2010-11. Although they did have a torrid time when they toured Australia in 2006-07 and 2013-14 as they got whitewashed, they made up by winning the subsequent Ashes back at home.

Batty would be looking to make a lasting impression on selectors in the upcoming series against Bangladesh and would hope to make it back to the England squad for the next Ashes.

#1 Haseeb Hameed was 8 years old

The youngster will be looking to make his debut against Bangladesh

Haseeb Hameed, the 19-year-old teenager who is making his debut against Bangladesh in the Test series which begins tomorrow, was an 8-year-old child when Batty last played a Test.

The teenager who is often compared to England legend Geoffrey Boycott has had a spectacular breakthrough season for Lancashire in the Specsavers Championship scoring 1129 runs at an average of 54.

If Hameed makes his Test debut in the series against Bangladesh, he will join the select band of five others to have played Test cricket for England while still in their teens.

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Edited by Staff Editor