Ponting and Smith were only rested for ODIs werent they??

For test series?

Fair do's if they were but I don't remember it. I know the Aussies gave Ponting a couple of weeks off at the end of the Ashes whilst the one dayers were on but I couldn't see him sitting out test matches.

Strauss has 5 months off now from England duty which is laughable for a guy that doesn't play international t20 or in the IPL. It annoys me when the batsmen don't play much county cricket because there is surely no better way of them getting into nick but to now be rested for test matches whoever the opposition is a step too far imo.

As for Cook again being selected in the one day squad

From what I know yeah.

I really don't see the issue with Andrew Strauss being given 'a rest'

Teams in other sports rest their star/busiest players when they see fit against weaker opposition, so what is the problem. I admit he has not batted particularly well recently and could do with the time in the middle but I would rather see younger players given a run out in a series such as this. Which makes the absence of Adil Rashid a total mystery to me!! How is he ever going to develop if they just take him to carry drinks in the major series' and don't even bother in the lesser series'. The 'not having bowled enough' excuse is just $h1te. He hasn't bowled enough because the England management have not let him bowl

The problem with him having a rest for me is the lengh of it! He'd have a good 4 week break even if he had been picked in the squad and even longer if they'd just selected him for the test squad only.

It doesn't send a good message out to the rest of the squad imo when the skipper is missing the trip because 'it's only bangladesh'. They aren't a bad side and are improving all the time and we could be in for a shock if the players are just treating it as a 2nd string tour.