We possibly showed our inexperience: Alastair Cook

Going back to the dressing room at tea, England were cruising along at 100/0. Not many would have foreseen what followed next. 19-year-old Mehedi Hasan Miraz and the veteran all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan spun a web to skittle England out for 164 runs in next session, leading Bangladesh to memorable Test win. History was made at Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.

Talking about shocking defeat Alastair Cook said, “It was amazing how things can turn. We possibly showed our inexperience in those conditions. It was amazing, the difference before Tea and after Tea. You lose a couple of wickets, then men come round the bat, crowd get into it — being able to deal with that and get through it — you know it doesn’t last forever. But that half an hour, 40 minutes is crucial, and we just weren’t good enough to be able to get through.”

Cook added “I thought 270 would have been a real good chase to be honest. They got 30 too many today. We had four or five, not easy chances, but chances you need to take. I started the rot with one at leg slip [off Imrul Kayes] — you need to take them, especially in low-scoring games.”

“It’s very easy sitting back and saying it’s just Bangladesh. But in these conditions on spinning wickets, their bowlers are good, they’re experienced. I know the guy who got 19 wickets [Mehedi Hasan Miraz] isn’t experienced, but he’s a very good bowler and he’s experienced in these conditions.”

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England have a tough tour of India coming up where they will have to play on rank turners against Ashwin and Jadeja. It will be interesting how England put this defeat behind and come out with a plan to tackle spinners and repeat heroics of 2012.

England squad for India Test series

A Cook (Captain), M Ali, Z Ansari, J Bairstow (WK), J Ball, G Ballance, G Batty, S Broad, J Buttler, B Duckett, S Finn, H Hameed, A Rashid, J Root, B Stokes, C Woakes.