Kayes's timely reminder

Imrul Kayes is not the first name that comes to mind when thinking of elite Bangladesh batsmen, but there is a Jekyll-and-Hyde quality to this left-hander that is fascinating.

A little more than a week ago, Imrul looked scratchy in the first ODI against Afghanistan, batting at three. He scored 37 and was dropped -- a familiar tale for a batsman who has played only 59 of the 126 ODIs that Bangladesh have played since the start of his career eight years ago.

That innings was far removed from the one he played for BCB XI against England in the practice match in Fatullah yesterday. He hit the first ball of the innings for four through cover and barely let up till he ended with a 91-ball 121 with 11 fours and six sixes.

"It's not an international match, but the atmosphere was similar," said the perennial nearly man after his team lost the warm-up by four wickets yesterday. "I needed an innings like this. It is definitely a big confidence boost to score a century against a team like them. As you know, in practice matches all the bowlers bowl. So it is an advantage for the fielding side, and a challenge for the batsmen."

He intimated after the match that it was on the advice of the coaching staff that he changed his approach and this flexibility is perhaps the reason he always seems to be in national focus.

"Mindset was very important. In other matches recently, my mindset was to stay at the wicket. Today I was positive from the start, the first ball connected well," Imrul said. "The coach told me to be prepared to play the cut and pull off every ball, which will allow me to take singles even off good balls. I practised that the last two days and it helped me a lot today. In this way my body will always be positive and will react quicker."

With first-choice opener Soumya Sarkar's lean patch continuing with his dismissal score of seven yesterday, this may have been the timeliest of reminders from Imrul for the three-ODI series starting on Friday.

"You have to do something extraordinary to stay in the team; you can't stay if your performance is average. I played the first ODI [against Afghanistan] but was left out for the next two and I felt that maybe I need to do something better," he added.

For all of Imrul's heroics, it was a better day for England as they chased a challenging 309 with time to spare. They were fighting not only their opposition, but also the stiflingly hot conditions. The pick of their bowlers, seamer Chris Woakes, was of the opinion that it was a good day out to get acclimatised.

"We have only been out here for a few days. Testing conditions; a day game is always going to be tough when the sun is at its hottest," said Woakes. "But we came through it [although] a few guys did get cramps. We will be better for the fact that we've been out here and played the full fifty overs in the heat. We are really pleased with how it's gone."