England’s Alastair Cook primed while Hameed and Duckett stake opener claim

Paternity leave is not a phrase in cricket’s vast and varied vocabulary, so the England captain, Alastair Cook, flew back to Chittagong for Thursday’s first Test against Bangladesh shortly after the birth of his second daughter.

When he takes the field he will become England’s most-capped Test cricketer, eclipsing the 133 he had shared with Alec Stewart.

Cook trained here for a week during the one-day international series and his return has run to plan, saving England from an experience deficit. They would have required debutant openers for the first time since 1937, and a new captain.

However, Cook is also a formidable opponent for Bangladesh. No non-Asian batsman has more runs than Cook’s 2,252 (at an average of almost 61) in Asia. Furthermore, Thursday will be his 132nd consecutive Test match (only Allan Border, with 153, has played more on the bounce), while Bangladesh have played only 93 in total, and not one since August 2015. Little wonder their squad contains four new faces.

As Cook was in transit, the “shootout” between two of England’s own rookies, Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett, to open the batting with the captain continued. In England’s final warm-up match, the pair made fine half-centuries before retiring in the draw with a BCB XI and their battle looks increasingly likely to end in a successful stalemate, with both being selected.

If so, Hameed would open with Cook, with the more dynamic Duckett at No4 at the expense of Gary Ballance, who did not come in until No7 and was a touch scratchy, despite finishing unbeaten on 36. Jos Buttler also looks set to miss out, while England are likely to play three spinners (with Gareth Batty joining Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid) and three seamers, pending a pitch inspection on Wednesday.

Hameed and Duckett, having put on 75 in Saturday’s warm-up, shared 90 on Monday before the coach, Trevor Bayliss, retired Duckett at lunch, having seen enough. Hameed ploughed on before being called in at tea with 57 from 125 balls, again living up to his reputation as a doughty accumulator. “Has could just bat for days and he’d be happy,” said Duckett of Hameed. “He’s not fussed about whacking it and going at a fast rate.”

Only in the 48th over, as Hameed flicked a full toss through midwicket for a four, did his score overtake the number of overs bowled, while he faced eight maidens, as well as 19 straight dot balls after lunch. Three stylish boundaries – straight-driven, late cut, pulled – followed but he quickly corrected himself with a forward defensive. Early on, he was troubled by the pace of Taskin Ahmed – who was so effective in the ODI series and struck him on the arm – but recovered his composure.

Duckett’s case is surely impossible to ignore. On tour, he has four half-centuries, including two in a stellar ODI series (despite believing himself to be short on form during that campaign), and showed on Monday he is not one-paced; his first 70 balls brought 25 runs but he retired with 60 from 102. The BCB XI have been unable to dismiss him across two innings.

“Something I’m working on is being a bit more patient, leaving the ball, which I feel at the start of the last couple of innings I did well,” Duckett said on his 22nd birthday. “To play Test cricket is a dream, so I wouldn’t mind where I batted. I’m feeling good at the top of the order at the moment but I’d take any chance.”