England will be judged in India, not Bangladesh: Ian Botham

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham says he is not worried about what happened in Bangladesh and feels India will be the real test as far as England team is concerned. Beefy as he is called quoted, “It [batting collapse] can happen in that part of the world,” England great Botham told AFP in an interview in London on Sunday. “The wickets are tailored, they are designed to spin. When you see spinners opening in Tests with the new ball, you get an idea of what’s coming.”

“It’s good for them [Bangladesh]. But what they’ve got to do is to start winning outside of their own country. That’s the acid test and that’s what England have got to do now. At the end of the day, they’ll be judged not so much on what happens in Bangladesh, but they will be judged more on what happens in India. England have got the bowlers who can take the pitch out of the equation with reverse swing. If they go out there and they perform they can win.”

Stuart Broad was rested for Dhaka Test. Talking about his exclusion Botham said, “I presented him with his cap when he first played in Colombo. There was stuff about Stuart Broad ‘the enforcer’. He got a bit caught up in that. But he’s bowled his best spells when he bowls at the top of off stump, Australia at The Oval [when Broad took 4 for 8 in 2009), Australia at Trent Bridge [eight for 15 in 2015].”

“Bowlers, rotate them. I was more in the Ben Stokes category. He won’t get rested and I wouldn’t have either. I think he’s fantastic. I think he’s box office. I love watching him play, I like his attitude, I like the aggression.  “He’s the kind of cricketer you’ll cross the road to watch. It is all a learning curve for him now, but he learns quickly,” said Botham in an interview at a Hardy’s wine-tasting event in London. Stokes has been biggest plus for England on mixed-bag Bangladesh tour.

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