The bank sponsoring the one-day series may need a new incentive to persuade customers to take up its new cricket credit card.
Currently, those doing so will get double points on purchases made in the month following a Bangladesh victory.
 England made short work of Bangladesh's top order |
Only the wildly optimistic or the long-term investor can expect to benefit from the bank's questionable generosity.
The result and manner of Bangladesh's defeat by England in the opening match was no surprise.
Three players were making their one-day international debuts for the home side and they were missing their two best bowlers - not that Mushrafe Mortaza and Mohammed Rafique would have made much difference to the outcome.
Bangladesh's inadequate batting, especially against Andrew Flintoff's short ball, left the bowlers with an impossible task.
The home side are never far away from a batting collapse but even by their standards today's was a notable achievement.
Five wickets went down for one run in 14 balls, leaving them on 66-7 and it was only 10.30 in the morning.
Bangladesh survived until the 45th over by reverting to Test mode. A lot of blocking was mixed with occasional aggression and they comfortably surpassed their lowest one-day score of 76 against Sri Lanka and India.
In reply, England briefly excited the large crowd by throwing away three wickets.
Flintoff silenced them again by bludgeoning five quick boundaries and although he occasionally floundered against the spinners, he batted with a thrilling brutality that was not appreciated by the large crowd.
 Flintoff powered England to victory with his ninth one-day fifty |
Each boundary was met with resigned silence and the home supporters were clearly saving themselves up for their captain. Khaled Mahmud, who was jeered noisily at the post-match presentation.
The England selectors are using the post-World Cup period for experimentation but are trying to identify as soon as possible the players who will take part in the next World Cup.
It might be happening quicker than they expected as England already have the basis of a settled side.
Only Darren Gough and Anthony McGrath were missing from the team that beat South Africa in the NatWest Series final during the summer - McGrath because Paul Collingwood is fit again and he will now have to fight his battles lower down the order.
England need a match-winning batsman at number four, someone of the calibre of Graham Thorpe.
Collingwood is far more likely to fit the bill, especially if a place can soon be found for him in the Test line-up.
The selectors clearly think so as well. He was one of only eight players to be awarded a year-long central contract at the end of the summer.
He has had limited opportunities on this tour but the cool, sensible support he gave to Flintoff demonstrated why the selectors rate him so highly.
MMIX
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