The Collapse

It was well and truly the collapse to end all collapses. England lost ten wickets in a session, going from a position of promise when 100/0 at tea - to 164 all out and beaten within three days. For Bangladesh, it was perhaps their greatest day since gaining test status in the year 2000. For England, who have managed many horrible collapses in their time, it was one of their worst.

The focus has to be on Bangladesh. They came so close to victory in the first test, only to fall at the final hurdle, but they didn't have to wait long for an even better chance. From Tamim Iqbal's dominating century on the first day, to having England struggling at 144/8 in their first innings, to going on the offensive in their second innings before running through England at the end; it was a match which they controlled almost all the way through. And it was a series in which they consistently looked the better side. Every batsman in the top order made an important contribution at some stage, Tamim Iqbal leading the way. In spin bowling they were a class apart - 7 wickets for Taijul at 22.85, 12 for Shakib at 18.41, and of course 19 for Mehedi at 15.63.

19 wickets for Mehedi Hasan, only turning 19 in the middle of the series. 19 wickets in his first two test matches, with three six wicket hauls. What better way to announce himself on the international stage? His offspin was a most potent weapon, accurate and always testing an English batting lineup littered with left-handers for him to prey on. There was never any other candidate for man of the series.

An area where England could claim to have outperformed Bangladesh this series was in the lower order batting. Where England might often collapse at the top of an innings, Bangladeshi wickets would fall quickly towards an innings's end. England's lower order had to bail them out again in this match, with a 99 run stand and a pair of forties from Woakes and Rashid seeing England scrape a first innings lead after being 144-8. The defeat might easily have been much worse. The second time out, even the lower order couldn't save them.

It had all started so well. A total of 273 was always going to be a tall order to chase, but they had at least given themselves a chance. A strong opening partnership had been elusive up until this point, but this time they made their mark. Ben Duckett showed just why he had been selected, playing with that special quality that makes him so exciting to watch - the inventiveness, the flair, never showing any fear. The special shots came out, and early in the innings too. A first test fifty came, a score of 56 from 64 balls. England will be making changes to their batting lineup, but he will likely have done enough to secure his place at the top. The captain Cook was there at the other end, his score of 59 contributing to the century stand.

But the first ball after tea, Duckett was out, Mehedi hitting the stumps. Joe Root, who had been in 'quarantine' the previous day through illness, soon followed. Ballance hit a leading edge to Tamim, a nightmare tour reaching its conclusion. And so on, and so on. After the openers, only Stokes made double figures. Moeen, Rashid, Ansari, and Finn all made ducks. Batsman after batsman came to the crease, only to turn round and go to the changing room moments later, undone by the spin of Mehedi or Shakib. The collapse was total. Bangladesh had beaten England at last, and comprehensively - by 108 runs. History had been made.

Where do England go from here? Well the obvious answer is, India. With no warm-up matches inbetween, England head into the first of five test matches next week. There will be no opportunity for squad members to play between games, and with the tours so close together there was no chance for the squad to be changed - something already appearing problematic. With Duckett opening the innings, Haseeb Hameed looks unlikely to get a chance; meanwhile Gary Ballance's England career looks to have reached the end of the road after four innings on this tour brought four single figures. That leaves Jos Buttler, not proven in red ball cricket (though highly successful against spin in the ODI series), left as the only specialist batting option to join the team. With five matches in a six week period, the Lions squad is also likely to come in play.

Whatever disappoint inevitably comes from such a collapse though, the most credit must be given to Bangladesh, and a thanks to a fantastic tour. The ODI series was a thriller, a close contest between both sides, and the test series did not disappoint either. Both matches brought their share of drama, the tightest of contests in match one, and a day to celebrate for Bangladesh in match two. No longer are they the minnows of old - they haven't been in a long time, especially in ODIs. But this was the big breakthrough, a defining moment to build upon. And as the team, the stadium, and the nation smiled; it was hard not to raise a smile too.

Selected thoughts: Bangladesh vs England ODIs

And so the winter begins, three ODIs and two tests in Bangladesh to form the first leg of England's tour to Asia. Maybe a few years ago, it might have looked a relatively straight forward prospect. But not any more. Over the past couple of years or so, Bangladesh have been one of the most improved teams in ODI cricket - six series wins on the bounce can attest to this, and who can forget their victory over England to reach the World Cup quarter finals last year? With England another team on the rise, the series offered an interesting contest.

Game one, and it was the Bens who shone for England. Duckett, on debut, and Stokes came together at the crease at the not-so-simple position of 63/3 for England. But Duckett looked up to the task from the start, tough and ready for the challenge in the first game. It wasn't simple by any means with unfamiliar conditions and a difficult situation, but he passed his first test on the international stage, a crucial score of 60 anchoring England's innings. Alongside him, Ben Stokes made his first ODI century. Perhaps it wasn't as flamboyant as we've seen before, just over a run a ball though still with four sixes, but it showed his improvement in slow, turning conditions - and an upward curve as an ODI batsman. At the start of this year, he had passed fifty just twice in 34 games; this year he's passed the mark five times, and this was his third score above fifty in a row. The pair's partnership was worth 153, giving the captain Buttler time for his customary blitz (63 from 38, making it look all too easy), and England finished on 309/8.

Yet in response, Bangladesh looked to be cruising. At 153/4, it might have gone either way. But at 271/4, they were safely heading for the win, a brilliant century from Imrul Kayes (112) and an attacking 79 from 55 for Shakib Al Hasan setting them on the path for victory. England were drifting, a bowling attack possibly suffering from a lack of variety without the extra pace of the injured Plunkett. But they didn't give up. Somehow, Bangladesh lost five wickets in the space of nine runs and the match was transformed. Jake Ball became the first Englishman to take a five-for on debut, whilst at the other end Rashid had picked up four - with a run-out to boot. England may have been wilting in the stifling heat and humidity - and Ball looked to be running on empty as he looked for that final wicket - but they fought to the very end. Buttler had passed his first test as captain, and England had dramatically drawn the first blood.

Match two, and it was a good bowling performance from England. Bangladesh could never quite get away, England being tight with the ball and regularly breaking partnerships before they could get going. For much of the innings, only Mahmudullah (75) could really settle and score at a decent rate. But the captain came to the crease and was the man to make the difference - Mashrafe Mortaza making 44 from 29, supported by Nasir Hossain with a run-a-ball 27. A total of 238 was one England might have fancied - but that blitz at the end was the sort that could make all the difference.

Straight away England struggled. Bangladesh opened the bowling with the spin of Shakib to great effect, and with three wickets from Mortaza England were 31/4 after the first powerplay. England were rebuilding before they'd even begun. And though Bairstow (35) and the ever-impressive Buttler - using his feet in a run-a-ball 57 - had made something of a recovery, three wickets from Taskin Ahmed brought the innings crashing down again. Tensions started to fly, the normally calm duo of Buttler and Woakes riled up after the celebration of Buttler's wicket, but despite a mini-fightback from the last wicket pair of Rashid and Ball, Bangladesh sealed a deserved victory by 34 runs. The finale was set, and now with an added spice.

And so, to the decider. Bangladesh made a good start, a pair of forties from openers Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal - the latter becoming the first Bangladeshi batsman to pass 5000 runs in ODI cricket. Sabbir Rahman also made 49 with Mushfiqur Rahim top scoring with 67*, while England's fast bowlers struggled to make an impact. Plunkett had returned to the side in favour of David Willey, and - though in most cases I'm an advocate of his presence - in these conditions the extra spin option of Liam Dawson would likely have been a better call. Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, finding turn to pick up 4-43 (though the bad balls picked up more wickets than the good), but a score of 277/6 still looked a tricky one to chase.

But England had their own strong start. With an injury to Jason Roy, maybe Sam Billings wasn't the most immediate choice to open the innings - but he seized his opportunity with both hands, making 62 from 69 deliveries. Duckett was also in the runs, scoring his second fifty of the series after a duck in the previous game. It was a show of the fantastic young talent England have on offer; the only problem being who will miss out when the trio of Root, Hales, and Morgan also return to the team. Stokes was also there at the end with 47*, while Chris Woakes finished the job off with a six down the ground, cool as you like. It was a fine and mature chase, and a fine performance by England to win the series.

It might not always have been plain sailing, but the best challenges never are. It was a hard fought, competitive series, and after the second game, one with that extra spice about it. But England came through at the crucial moments - when Bangladesh crumbled at the end of the first match, and with a strong run chase in the final match. Then again, had it gone the other way we would have been saying that about Bangladesh - Mashrafe Mortaza's performance in the second game especially. In a hard fought series it's often a matter of fine margins, and how a team fares in the big moments. And this time, in a stern test, England pulled through.

A lot to play for

April always comes with showers, and of course the start of the county season, and then probably some more showers. For any team and player there is always a lot to play for, titles to be chased across all three formats, and promotion and relegation perhaps even more significant with the move away from the 16-game championship after this season. And for some, there may be an added incentive: the prospect of a place in England's test side.

As has often been the case over these past few years, England's test eleven is far from settled at the beginning of an English summer. Though the past year may have seen an Ashes victory and success in South Africa during the winter, there are still several spots in the side yet to be truly sewn up, particularly so with the batting. Perhaps the most obvious among those would be the opening spot. It's the place surely everyone is tired of talking about, but the talk will only continue until someone comes in and truly makes it his own.

Alex Hales has not done that yet, but after just four tests, does probably deserve more of a chance before time is called on him too. Yet whilst Hales is resting, others will be looking to lay down a marker. Ben Duckett has already hit the ground running with 282* in the opening match of the season, and other young batsmen like Tom Abell, Daniel Bell-Drummond, and Alex Lees will be hoping to make an impression too. It may yet be too soon for those four, but a good season would certainly put them in the selectors' thoughts. Adam Lyth and Sam Robson are men who will be hungry for a second chance, and it's not out of the question for Nick Compton to return to the opening position either - one of the county game's most consistent batsmen and one of the more successful men to have taken on the position since Strauss's retirement. It's not a done deal just yet.

Compton though is still yet to secure his own place in the team. He had a mixed time with the bat in South Africa: a strong start, with 85 in the first test and two more scores in the forties; before somewhat fading in the latter half. The familiar issue around his scoring rate seemed to come up again on his return, and might easily have affected his performance - even the coach Bayliss was reported to say he would prefer a more attacking player in the role. Compton is well capable of steadying the ship when needed, but he might need to find that extra gear in his innings to keep his place in this attacking new England side. Either way, batsmen like Gary Ballance and Ian Bell already look to be pressing hard for a return to the team, and others like James Vince are hoping to break through.

Sadly, there is one place we already know that needs filling. James Taylor might not quite have nailed down his spot in the order, but with tours to India and Bangladesh coming the following winter, would certainly have been a big part of England's plans with his ability against spin bowling. This year might have been his breakthrough year in the test side, but now we're just left to wonder what if. It's a desperately sad situation, but at the same time we're lucky it wasn't even sadder.

Looking at the bowlers, it looks like a matter of fitness as much as anything. Mark Wood and Steven Finn were the definite leaders for the third bowler slot, but both had to miss chunks of the winter through injury. Finn though should be making a full appearance in these early championship games, and providing he returns to the sort of form he showed in South Africa, has to be the favourite for that spot in the team. But April is hunting time for pace bowlers, and brings a chance for the chasing pack to stake their claims too. Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett featured heavily in the recent World Twenty20, whilst Chris Woakes was the man who replaced James Anderson when injured in South Africa. Mark Footitt has also been around the England setup for a while now without making the jump to the team, and by moving to Surrey hopes to further his international ambitions. Depending on conditions, fitness, and form, there's always a chance.

There's a lot for many to fight for, with those battling to keep their places being chased by a pack battling to take their spots. I always love the start of the county season, the reassuring feel that cricket has returned, and also the anticipation of what lies ahead both internationally and domestically. Even if the rain starts to fall as soon as that first ball is bowled.