Seizing the chance to shine

Bethnal Green Technology College, in the heart of the East End of London, was the focus of an improbable media scrum on Tuesday morning, as the great and the good of English cricket assembled to unveil the ECB's latest grassroots initiative - "A Chance to Shine - Bringing Cricket to State Schools".

Andrew Strauss, Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard were all in attendance, Mark Nicholas was his usual suave self as Master of Ceremonies, and a collection of East London's finest young cricketers were in attendance to hear Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, extol the virtues of "a game that provides role-models that sports such as football have noticeably failed to do."

Valid though King's observations were, over the past few decades, too much of cricket's message has been allowed to miss the mark. Ninety-three percent of British pupils are state-educated, and yet of those, only 10% are offered regular cricket competition by their schools. Men such as Harmison have reached the top by accident rather than design. "I played no cricket at all at school," he told reporters at the launch. "Where I came from [in the North-East], everyone was massively into football. I got involved in club cricket simply as something to pass the time during the summer."

It was an uncanny moment for English cricket to resume nurturing its roots. Because on the other side of town, at perhaps the most famous cricket arena in the world, another nation that has attracted criticism for its lack of groundwork was putting in its preparations ahead of Thursday's first Test. Bangladesh's facilities may never be able to match those on offer at Lord's, but in terms of grassroots fanaticism, they are currently light-years ahead. This week, in St John's Wood as at Bethnal Green, the youth of the game are being given their chance to shine.

"Lord's is the Mecca of cricket," said Enamul Haque jr, one of several rising stars in the Bangladesh squad, none of whom has ever had the privilege of playing at the most venerable venue of all. As an 18-year-old left-arm spinner, Enamul was refreshingly honest about his prospects of success in alien conditions ("I feel a little bit scared"), but added that, if he was to make the final eleven on Thursday morning, it would be the greatest moment of his cricketing life - surpassing even his starring role in Bangladesh's maiden series win against Zimbabwe earlier this year.

It has been a steep learning curve for the Bangladeshis on this tour, but they have been gleaning their lessons wherever they can. While they were slumping to that innings defeat against Sussex, for instance, Enamul received several mid-May survival tips from Pakistan's champion legspinner, Mushtaq Ahmed, while the whole squad has been working hard in the nets to paper over their obvious shortcomings. Judging by the whoops of delight that filled the indoor school when Mohammad Rafique pinged the stumps with a pick-up-and-throw, they have not allowed a siege mentality to take hold.

"For some of the younger ones, ignorance is bliss," said Stuart Karpinnen, Bangladesh's Australian fitness coach, who has been with the team for the past seven months. "They won't be overawed by Lord's, but it's not just a case of them being unaware of the history at this ground. Some of them are very good in that regard, but it's still just another game. For me, as an Australian, I'm perhaps more overawed than they are!

"They've adapted to life over here as best they can," added Karpinnen. "From a physiological point of view, it's easier to come from a hot climate to a cold one than the other way round, and so all the guys have been issued with beanies and tights to help them combat the cold. And there's such a large ex-pat community over here, that there's been no time to dwell on things and miss home."

That factor cannot be overlooked. Bangladesh's arrival has awoken a dormant interest in cricket among their British-born compatriots, and both Lord's and Chester-le-Street are expected to be over-run with Tiger fans. "It's like an extended support staff," added Karpinnen. "Initially I was worried about little things like sight-seeing and banking, but there's been no need."

Their creature comforts may have been catered for - even down to ensuring that their mattresses are not too soft - but for Bangladesh, the sharp end of their eight-week tour gets underway on Thursday morning, and one man in particular is in no mood for pussy-footing around. "We've got to be ruthless," said Harmison, who took nine wickets in his last outing against Bangladesh, and who is mindful of the need to bounce back hard after his disappointing time in South Africa.

"Whether it's Australia or Bangladesh, the conditions at this time of year are always difficult," he concluded. "We've got to exploit that again."