Cricket: BOWLERS GO BATTY IN TRIAL FOR TEST; England impress in final warm-up.

Byline: MYLES HODGSON in DHAKA

ENGLAND have begun considering their selection options for the opening Test against Bangladesh after competition for places intensified with an impressive bowling display in their final warm-up match.

Rain may have restricted play on the final day against Bangladesh A to only 30 overs but it was enough time for Worcestershire's Gareth Batty and fast bowler Steve Harmison to press their claims for a starting place at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Off-spinner Batty claimed impressive figures of three for 19 from seven overs to leave the A team struggling on 81 for four - answering criticism from opener and first-innings centurion Nafis Iqbal that he was no more than 'ordinary'.

Harmison, in a hostile four-over burst, unsettled two members of Bangladesh's Test squad to put England on course for their first victory of the tour until torrential rain intervened.

Their displays left coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Michael Vaughan with plenty to consider before the historic first Test between the two countries starting on Tuesday.

Fletcher claims England have still to settle on the balance of the side, a situation inflamed by the withdrawal of key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff with a groin injury from this part of the winter.

Fletcher said: 'That was the problem when Andrew Flintoff didn't come out.

'We basically had the side in our minds. But Andrew's absence has created an area where we do have a bit of a concern, and Michael and I have been talking about it.'

Rikki Clarke is most likely to fill Flintoff's role at number six, ousting Paul Collingwood. But it is the make-up of England's attack that is expected to cause the most debate in the selection meetings over the next few days.

Durham paceman Harmison will almost certainly claim a place after encouraging displays in both warm-up matches and is expected to partner Matthew Hoggard - but after that England have a choice of playing an extra seamer or a second spinner.

Richard Johnson, injured for the second half of the summer and a late replacement for James Anderson, looked rusty in his only appearance - while Martin Saggers, another late call-up for Flintoff, produced a nervy display in the opening warm-up match.

By contrast, Batty and Warwickshire's Ashley Giles performed well yesterday when the A team - resuming the final day 85 runs adrift in their second innings on six without loss - lost four wickets in the morning session.

Harmison made the initial breakthrough by inducing Nafis into driving straight to Graham Thorpe in the gully. But after that it was the spinners, working in tandem, who caused most the problems to the A team's top order.

Batty claimed his first victim with the second ball of his spell, Aftab Ahmed driving to Vaughan at extra cover, and he had A team captain Rajin Saleh caught at short-leg four overs later by Nasser Hussain.

He completed his three-wicket haul shortly before the interval when Najimuddin edged behind to reserve wicket- keeper Geraint Jones, who was standing in to allow Chris Read some rest in the high temperatures.

'Pleased'

Fletcher said: 'It would have been better for us if the rain had stayed away.

'We could have had a better look at the spinners and given the seamers a bit longer out in the middle.

'We're very pleased with the way both our spinners bowled today. Giles got a bit of his bounce back - and it was nice to see Batty beat both sides of the bat, which is quite important for an off-break bowler.'

The batsmen appear to be pencilled in although Fletcher conceded he would have liked captain Vaughan, Hussain and Thorpe to spend longer at the crease.

All three have had two innings. But none has made a major score, and Fletcher said: 'We'd have liked Nasser and Thorpe to have had a few more overs.

'But the most pleasing part about it is that they feel they are batting well - you can see in the way they bat that they are in good nick.

'Vaughan is another we would like to have spent a little more time in the middle. But the way they have batted you can see that it's not as if they're not moving their feet properly or their balance is wrong.'

Mark Butcher, who missed the second warm-up match with a throat infection, has played only one innings since his arrival.

Fletcher added: 'We're going to have to assess that especially from an acclimatisation point of view, because these last two days in the sun have really helped the other players.'

SCOREBOARD

BANGLADESH A

v ENGLAND

(at Dhaka - final day of three)

Overnight: Bangladesh A 242 (Nafis Iqbal 118) & 6-0 v England 333 (M E Trescothick 96, C M W Read 82, G J Batty 50)

BANGLADESH A -

Second innings (cont.)

Nafis Iqbal c Thorpe b Harmison...31

Javed Omar not out ...29

Aftab Ahmed c Vaughan b Batty...8

Rajin Saleh c Hussain b Batty...1

Najimuddin c Sub b Batty...2

Fahim Muntasir not out ...2

Extras (lb3 w1 nb4) ...8

Total 4 wkts (33 overs)...81

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-57, 3-61, 4-67.

Did not bat: Sagir Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Tareq Aziz, Alamgir Kabir, Talha Jubair.

Bowling: Hoggard 6-1-15-0; Johnson 7-2-9-0; Collingwood 2-1-6-0; Harmison 4-1-22-1; Giles 7-3-7-0.

Match abandoned as a draw due to rain

CAPTION(S):

CONCERNS... England captain Michael Vaughan OUT!... Gareth Batty takes his second wicket as Nasser Hussain (left) catches Rajin Saleh