Lawrence Booth: Trott the man to open in Bangladesh

And so England omit their captain and opener from the tour to Bangladesh. Much has been written about the rights and wrongs of that decision (more rights than wrongs, reckons this blogger); less so about the effect this will have on the XI. Because while Michael Carberry would seem to be a like-for-like for Andrew Strauss as Alastair Cook’s opening partner, life may not prove that simple.

In South Africa, England’s batsmen rode a crest one minute (574 for nine declared at Durban), then plumbed the depths the next (skittled for under 200 twice at Johannesburg). And yet they must now throw a man overboard.

Since the history of English cricket is swathed in paradox, this need not bother us too much. More important is the balance. Because if England are going to play two spinners at Chittagong and Dhaka, as seems likely, and not place an impossible burden on two front-line seamers, as seems humane, then it’s Matt Prior at No. 6. And that means only five batsmen.

Carberry’s inclusion would make some sense, but perhaps not enough: the pro of taking a look at another opener would be outweighed by the con of further disruption to England’s top order – ask the bowlers about team dynamics after Ryan Sidebottom replaced Graham Onions at Johannesburg – and the knowledge that, deep down, it’s only Bangladesh. Any lessons learned would be tenuous at best.

The knee-jerk reaction to South Africa would be to drop Jonathan Trott, who arguably used up the credit he banked with his Ashes hundred. But, again, England must look at the long-term. If they manage to balance the side in Australia this winter (five specialist batsmen followed by Prior, an all-rounder – don’t completely rule out Andrew Flintoff – and four front-line bowlers), who is more likely to score a couple of hundreds: Trott or Carberry? Precisely.

What emerged in South Africa is that the adjective most commonly ascribed to Trott’s Oval debut – “nerveless” – may be misleading. To leave him out now when what he needs is an arm round the shoulder would damage his confidence even further at the start of, yes, yet another crucial year for English cricket.

Far better, surely, to ask Trott to take one for the team in Bangladesh and open with Cook, a player he admires. Since this is a role he performs in the one-day side, and since his fate in South Africa was to enter the fray five times out of seven with the ball still virtually new, this should not worry him unduly. It may even make him feel wanted again.

The double whammy would reside in the promotion of Ian Bell to No. 3, a position he can now think about in the long-term once more after transforming himself into an unlikely pillar of England’s batting community in South Africa. If that means taking Trott out of the Ashes firing-line by demoting him to No. 6 down under, so much the better.

Bell-bashers will doubtless groan at the prospect, but since his last Test in that position produced an assured innings of 72 at The Oval, the argument for another chance is not exactly outlandish. And his performances at No. 3 on the previous Ashes tour – four fifties in five Tests – were hardly below-par in the context of a 5-0 hammering.

Which leaves us with this top six in Bangladesh: Cook (capt), Trott, Bell, Pietersen (don’t tell me you wanted to leave him out!), Collingwood, Prior (wkt). England have already taken one liberty by omitting Strauss. The Bangladeshis will perk up if they take a second by including Carberry.