A gradual upward curve

Bangladesh had won six ODI series prior to England's arrival. It was only natural therefore that the country's cricketing fraternity was very excited for the limited overs series.

However, one may not see the same level of excitement with regards to the upcoming Tests. The stands at the stadiums were full in both Chittagong and Dhaka during the ODIs with frequent complaints regarding the unavailability of tickets.

The Test series is expected to be completely opposite with huge gaps in the galleries. It may be something that might surprise the visitors, coming from a region that witnesses packed stadiums during Tests.

When you compare Bangladesh's progress in Tests to ODIs in the last two years, you will obviously prefer the latter. In contrast to the ODIs, the Tigers have not managed to create that fervour by beating big teams in the longer version.

However, that does not mean that they have not improved at all.

Bangladesh have played eight Tests since October 2014 and have lost just once. They beat Zimbabwe thrice, drew twice against South Africa, once against India and once against Pakistan. These are much better numbers than in previous years.

And one also has to understand that performance in Test cricket cannot be judged by just the win-loss ratio. There are after all, several landmarks to be achieved within a game and those achievements say a lot.

Take for example, Bangladesh's last series against South Africa, in July 2015. It was mired by rain and the teams could barely play three days of cricket in either Test. The series eventually resulted in a draw.

However, the positive aspect was that Bangladesh had managed to take a first innings lead against the South Africans in the first Test. That is something that does not happen that often with the Tigers.

And then there was the world record stand between Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal in the first Test against Pakistan, which brought Bangladesh back from the dead and helped them draw that Test.

Ask the senior players in the side and they will tell you that they were in a similar position in the ODIs a couple of years ago, when the frequency of their wins against big teams was really low.

It is an aspect that Bangladesh can gradually improve by playing more and more Tests; and that again is a problem. The very fact that Bangladesh have not played a Test since August 2015 can hurt them in the upcoming series.

When they lost their first ODI against Afghanistan, many of the players admitted that it was difficult to return to ODIs after a gap of 10 months. In this case, it has been 13 months since they played their last Test and they will be facing fourth-placed England; the equation is bound to be tough.

However, ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is hopeful that the hosts can end the series on a good note by doing well in the two Tests.

"We still have two Tests in which many of the one-day players will be playing and they will be more confident. A lot will depend on who does well in the first innings of the Test. My best wishes to the team. Although I can't be with them, I definitely believe in them," said Mashrafe following the third ODI on Wednesday.

England will play two two-day games against BCB XI in order to prepare for the Tests. The first one will begin today at the MA Aziz Stadium. Sabbir Rahman will lead BCB XI today. Apart from him, Soumya Sarkar, Rubel Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain are also present in the squad.