LONDON, 26 May 2005 — Ashley Giles’ hip injury saw him omitted from the England team to play Bangladesh in the first Test at Lord’s starting here today.
The left-arm spinner’s place was taken yesterday by off-spinner Gareth Batty.
Bangladesh meanwhile were set to hand a Test debut to 16-year-old batsman Mushfiqur Rahim. England omitted Robert Key from their top four and recalled Ian Bell for his second Test after the Warwickshire batsmen made 70 on his England debut last year against the West Indies in the fourth Test at The Oval.
Bell, 23, who has scored over 500 first-class runs already this season, is the only England batsmen to have scored a domestic first-class hundred this season.
He was set to bat at number four with Vaughan promoted to first-wicket down.
Uncapped Gloucestershire seamer Jonathan Lewis was the other player left out from the original squad with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff cleared to bowl after ankle surgery.
“Ashley won’t be playing Friday,” Vaughan told reporters at Lord’s here yesterday. “He just needs a little bit more rest but may be available for the second Test (the final match of the two-game series starting at Durham’s Riverside Ground on June 3).
“I don’t want to speak too far ahead but I fully expect him (Giles) to be fit for July 21. The injury hasn’t come at an ideal time but it could have come at a worse time.
Rahim, who can keep wicket, is set to play as a batsman only after scoring 115 not out in the tourists’ final warm-up match against Northamptonshire.
“It’s wonderful really,” said Whatmore of Rahim, who is set to become the youngest Test debutant at Lord’s and the ninth youngest of all to play Test cricket at 16 years and 267 days.
