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Surreal moment for England off-spinner

Gareth Batty had special reason to celebrate after he took his first Test wicket in over a decade

It's not often a 39-year-old takes his first Test wicket in 11 years, so no wonder England's Gareth Batty admitted the moment felt surreal.

The veteran Surrey off-spinner was a shock call-up for this tour of Bangladesh but he went some way to repaying England's faith in him when he took the key wicket of Tamim Iqbal during the final session of a gripping second day of this opening Test.

Tamim, cruising on 78 as he led his side's reply to England's first-innings 293, was threatening his eighth Test century before Batty's intervention, his quicker arm-ball extracting an edge that landed in the gloves of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Batty's celebration was an expression of the pent up frustration that he must have felt during a period of exile lasting more than a decade and which stretched back to the 2005 Durham Test against Bangladesh. 

"Unfortunately that's just me,” Batty said of the immediate moments following his wicket. 

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"I suppose when you're just an average player you enjoy every little bit of success. I felt like I'd set him up a little bit and hopefully skidded it through and it's nice to get very good players out.”

There were nerves early on as Batty was asked to open the bowling with the new ball, an alien concept to the Yorkshireman even though he has been playing first-class cricket for 20 years.

"I've never bowled with the new ball which added to the nerves,” he said. 

"My first ball was a bit of a pie as well so it was nice to get that one out the way.”

However, this is a man enjoying every moment of his second chance at the top in the knowledge he is unlikely to play for England again once their seven Tests in the sub-continent this winter are finished.

"Yes it is surreal,” he said. 


"It was nerve-wracking, I don't mind admitting that. I haven't felt like that for years, if ever. But that's a good thing - you're alive, if the nerves are jangling and you've got an England shirt on, wow, what a place to be!

"You stick the shirt on, it's an amazing feeling. I was very nervous and I suppose it's a human and natural thing. I got that under wraps in the end and hopefully we can move forward.”

If England are to move forward with any confidence to their five-Test series in India that follows this tour of Bangladesh then they will first need to win the spin war against improving opponents.

To that end, Moeen Ali's performance – he bowled beautifully during a day that saw him take the first two Bangladesh wickets of Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque in the space of four balls before lunch – will help.

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Moeen is a much-maligned merchant of off-spin despite his 79 wickets to date in 31 Tests. Yet even though he is the more experienced bowler, Batty believes Moeen is a man he can learn from during this arduous winter for England.

"Bangladesh are adept at playing spin in this environment,” said Batty. 

"They had a spell when they played beautifully and manipulated us. That is something we need to address.

"It is a group effort. Experience goes so far. The man with the ball in hand needs to take the lead. I was learning from Mo."