Cook insists Bangladesh Test has value for Ashes

ALASTAIR Cook may have been preparing to lead England in another low-key clash with Test minnows Bangladesh overnight, but he believes the contest could play a crucial role in his team's Ashes defence.

England have plenty of cricket to play before their trip Down Under next winter,

but the Ashes is never far from the mind of an England cricket fan and the captain yesterday suggested the same was true of the dressing room.

Cook is primarily looking to maintain his 100 per cent record as touring skipper by wrapping up a 2-0 win in Mirpur in the second Test, but he is also mindful that there are good habits to be learned ahead of the Ashes. England had to settle for a drawn Test series against South Africa after a slack performance in the final match saw them surrender a hard-fought lead in January, and Cook wants his players to gain experience of closing out victory at the business end of a tour.

"This is our last away Test match before we go to Australia and that has been noted," he said. "This match is hugely relevant (to the Ashes]. We've talked about the South Africa trip where we were 1-0 up going into the last game and didn't finish the job. The next time we could be in this position we'll be in Australia so this is a really good experience for us as a side.

"We've talked about what it means to play for England and how big it is to win 2-0. We know the next time we could face this situation will be the Ashes. It is a learning curve for us this week that we hope will help us come January next year."

England's immediate prospects were boosted by Stuart Broad's swift recovery from illness. Broad, the most experienced Test seamer in the ranks at just 23, missed training on Wednesday but was back in the nets yesterday and looking fit to play.

"He had a little illness but we think he'll be fine," said Cook. "The medical team have seen him this morning and he's up and about now which he wasn't yesterday. Hopefully the bug is gone and he'll be fine for the match." Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann were safely inked into the starting XI alongside Broad, but a decision remained to be taken on whether to include uncapped James Tredwell as a second spinner.

Steve Finn bowled well on his debut but was the obvious candidate to step down if the balance of the side was to remain the same, though the selectors may have decided that six specialist batsmen were an unnecessary luxury.

Cook himself seems naturally inclined towards three pacemen to share the workload in stifling heat. "If we think that is the best way of going – two seamers, two spinners – then we will do that. It is very 'un-English', though," he conceded. "We are used to playing in English conditions where seamers do the majority of the work, and you'd be very unlikely ever to go out in England with less than three seamers. These are the types of decisions the sub-continent throws up."