Tour of Bangladesh & Sri Lanka 2003-04      Captain : Michael Vaughan     

For Sri Lanka Muralitharan took 26 wickets at an average of 12.30 in the three Tests. Nasser Hussain had a dispute with him during the 2nd Test at Kandy but the match referee cleared Hussain of verbal abuse

Gareth Batty got into difficulties while swimming in the sea in Colombo and had to be rescued by two lifeguards

All England tours

Previous Test tour

Australia 2002-03

Next Test tour

West Indies 2003-04

Next tour of Bangladesh

2009-10

Next tour of Sri Lanka

2007-08

Members of the Test tour party (15  + 4)

Opening batsmen: Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick.

Middle-order batsmen Paul Collingwood, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Mark Butcher, Ricky Clarke.

Wicket-keeper: Chris Read, Geraint Jones.

All-rounder:  Andrew Flintoff.

Slow bowlers: Gareth Batty, Ashley Giles, Robert Croft (reinforcement).

Fast bowlers: James Anderson, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard plus Richard Johnson, Martin Saggers (replacements)

 James Kirtley (reinforcement)

County representation:

Du  -  Durham (2)

Ex  -  Essex (1)

K  -  Kent (2)

La  -  Lancashire  (2)

Nt  -  Nottinghamshire (1)

Sm  -  Somerset  (2)

Sy  -  Surrey (3)

Wk  -  Warwickshire (1)

Wo  -  Worcestershire (1)

Yo  -  Yorkshire (2)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(21 October 2003): 

     27 yrs  11 months.

ODI  member of the one-day squad in Bangladesh & Sri Lanka

Test Appearances made before the tour

Hussain 87,  Thorpe 78,  Butcher 57,  Trescothick 38,  Vaughan 35,  Flintoff 26,  Giles 25,  Croft 21,  Hoggard 19,  Harmison 11,  Anderson 7,  Read 3,  Kirtley 2,  Johnson 1,  Batty 0,  Clarke 0,  Collingwood 0,  Jones 0,  Saggers 0.

Tour Officials

Dr Mark Ridgewell was a local GP and lecturer in sport medicine at the University College of Wales in Cardiff ,who had previously accompanied Welsh national rugby teams on tour.

Selectors

David Graveney (chairman), Duncan Fletcher (coach), and Michael Vaughan (captain).

Selection

Not considered:  Alec Stewart (retired);  Andrew Caddick (injured).

Tour party announced : 10 September 2004.

Withdrawal:  James Anderson was withdrawn from the Bangladesh leg of the tour on 25 September because of an tendon injury to his left knee; Richard Johnson took his place. Andrew Flintoff failed a pre-tour fitness test on his groin strain and was also withdrawn from the Bangladesh Test tour, being replaced on 6 October by Martin Saggers

Not selected:  Martin Bicknell,  Ed Smith.

Limited-overs squad:   also announced on 10 September.

Michael Vaughan Marcus Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Anthony McGrath, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Rikki Clarke, Chris Read, Ian Blackwell, Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty, Richard Johnson, James Kirtley, James Anderson.

Not selected:  Darren Gough.

Time between selection and departure from England

   26 days

 (10 September - 6 October)

Travel

London  Q Dubai   Q Dhaka

Departure from Heathrow Airport, London, was on 6 October 2003. The team flew Emirates via Dubai to Dhaka arriving on 8 October. Martin Saggers flew out slightly later because of the lateness replacing Flintoff.

Owing to persistent rain, the team were obliged to practice in Bangladesh's only indoor nets at the Institute of Sport 100 miles from Dhaka.

The one-day squad flew out of London on 28 October, including Andrew Flintoff and one-day coach Tim Boon, and arrived in Dhaka next day.

After the Bangladesh leg of the tour, which ended on 12 November England’s one-day players flew on to Sri Lanka arriving late at night on Thursday 13 November. The Test squad arrived in Colombo on 21 November.

Time spent in Bangladesh

    35 days

(8 October -  12 November

Time spent in Sri Lanka

    40 days

(13 November - 23 December

On-tour selection panel

Reinforcements

Richard Johnson replaced James Anderson (knee injury) before the team left for Bangladesh.  When Anderson came back for Sri Lanka, Johnson stayed with the team because Steve Harmison (back strain) who had earlier gone home from Bangladesh was unable to re-join the tour in Sri Lanka. He failed a fitness test on his lower back, or “…was not invited back amid murmurings about his attitude” (Wisden).  Martin Saggers covered for Andrew Flintoff.

James Kirtley brought in for the limited-overs matches, remained with the team in Sri Lanka when Anderson turned his ankle playing squash. On 15 November the selectors asked Robert Croft  to join the squad in Sri Lanka.

Anthony McGrath captained the side at Moratuwa and Andrew Flintoff did so at Colombo CCC.

Fixtures/Results

(*) two innings, 12-a-side

† not first-class

§  one-day international

Time spent in Bangladesh before First Test:   13 days

(8 October - 21 October)

Test appearances on tour

(v Bangladesh & Sri Lanka 2003-04)

5 -  Butcher,  Giles,  Read,  Thorpe,  Trescocthick,  Vaughan.

4 -  Batty,  Hussain.

3 -  Flintoff,  Hoggard.

2 -  Clarke,  Collingwood,  Johnson,  Kirtley.

1 -  Anderson,  Harmison,  Saggers.

0 -  Croft,  Jones.

Match appearances

T  Test match

o  one-day international 

x other match 

W won  L lost  D drawn

N no result   A abandoned

u unknown result.

Highlights

•  Marcus Trescothick scored 113 at Dhaka.

•  Steve Harmison, with 5-35 and 4-44, proved far too much for the Bangladesh batsmen at Dhaka.

•  Richard Johnson also took nine wickets (5-49 and 4-44) at Chittagong which was his best Test analysis.

•  Nasser Hussain scored 76 and 95 at Chittagong.

•  Ashley Giles returned to form with 4-69 and 4-63 in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.

•  Mark Butcher scored 51 and 54 at Galle

•  Giles took a further eight wickets in the second Test.

•  Michael Vaughan made a century (105) at Kandy.

Tour Summary

Return to England

Colombo  Q  London

Steve Harmison flew home on 29 October with a back injury and was expected to rejoin the tour later but he failed a fitness test, so he never went to Sri Lanka.

The Test-only players had a three-week break in mid-tour. 

The one-day squad returned home from Sri Lanka on Monday 24 November

The tour ended on 23 December and the players flew back to England for Christmas, arriving in London next day.

Time away from England

  78 days 

 (6 October - 23 December)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

Postscript