Captain Andrew Strauss finds himself in the unusual situation of having to prove himself all over again, having taken a break from the game during the team's whitewash tour of Bangladesh and triumph in the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean.
Bangladesh may be the whipping boys of Test cricket, but Strauss said overconfidence was a danger.
“We have to be slightly careful not to get above our station and just expect things to happen,” Strauss said.
“The success we've had over the last 12 months has been built around hard work and graft and we need to take that to the next level.” At least one England player will make his debut at Lord's after Irish-born one-day specialist Eoin Morgan and fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad were picked in a 12-man squad. Morgan is tipped to strengthen the middle order at the expense of Shahzad.
Steven Finn, a 2.03-meter (6-foot-8) paceman, could make his home debut after impressing in Bangladesh. He is expected to join Tim Bresnan and James Anderson in a three-man pace attack, supported by spinner Graeme Swann.
Test regulars Stuart Broad and Paul Collingwood are being rested by coach Andy Flower, who is trying to avoid player burn-out ahead of November's crucial Ashes series in Australia. In between, England will play four Tests against Pakistan in July and August.
Strauss rejoins an England batting attack that is firing on all cylinders. Kevin Pietersen returned to his destructive best in the Caribbean, although Collingwood's absence so he can strengthen an injured shoulder is likely to be noticed with bat and ball.
With just three seamers, England's pace attack would be stretched by a stronger batting line-up than Bangladesh can muster. England has won all six matches since the two countries started playing Test cricket in 2003. Bangladesh has won just three of 66 matches since gaining Test status in 2000.
Bangladesh has not impressed since arriving in England but the tourists have been encouraged by the return to fitness of opener Tamim Iqbal and captain Shakib Al Hassan, who has recovered from chickenpox. Tamim has decided to play through the pain of an injury to his left wrist that may require surgery later this year.
“Today I have an appointment with the doctor, so we'll see how it goes,” Tamim said. “If everything goes all right, and the doctor gives me the green signal, then I'll play the first match — and if anything goes bad, I'll go for surgery.” Plans to use the Decision Review System have been dropped because the host broadcaster and the International Cricket Council failed to reach agreement on how to pay for the extra TV cameras needed for referrals.
Under the system, teams are allowed two referrals per innings to challenge an umpire's decision, with the third umpire making the final decision using technology. Elite umpire Aleem Dar was to have been the third umpire if DRS had been used, but he has been replaced by a more junior English official now that the role is less important.
Teams: England: Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Ajmal Shahzad.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hassan, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmadullah, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzaq, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.
Umpires: Billy Bowden, New Zealand, and Asoka De Silva, Sri Lanka.
Third umpire: Richard Illingworth, England. Match referee: Alan Hurst, Australia.
