After all the fuss about the world's top teams failing to demonstrate their official supremacy abroad, it seems that the England Lions continued that trend by losing their unofficial ODI series against Bangladesh A 2-3. All five matches at Chittagong and Sylhet were low-scoring affairs and few England players passed fifty.
Joe Root's 81 was negated by Imrul Kayes' century in the fourth match but Jonny Bairstow's unbeaten 50 helped win the second and captain James Taylor redeemed himself with 65 not out to gain a consolation victory in the final fixture. Joss Buttler smacked some useful cameos throughout the series but the home team had more oomph about their batting. Nevertheless you might have expected a side boasting Taylor, Bairstow, Meaker,Buttler and Briggs to perform a bit better, although the games gave useful experienced to the relatively untried Roy, Brooks, Buck and 19 year-old left-arm paceman Tymal Mills.
They next travel to Sri Lanka for more of the same. Last year, the Lions had some great first-class experience, helping Taylor to become the highest first-class run scorer in the world for 2011. One-dayers are not his forte but his List A average is very high and more international experience at this format will help him develop into the role of successor or team-mate to the likes of Strauss, Bell and Morgan. Tom Maynard didn't have a great series but his time will probably come.
