England's defence of Ashes starts here says Cook

England have plenty of cricket to play before their winter trip Down Under with the World Twenty20 at the end of April followed by a return visit from the Tigers, a home series against Pakistan and a limited-overs home series against Ricky Ponting's side.

But the Ashes is never far from the mind of an English cricket fan and the captain suggested the same was true of the dressing room.

Cook is primarily looking to maintain his 100 per cent record as touring captain by wrapping up a 2-0 win in Mirpur in the second Test but is also mindful that there are good habits to be learned ahead of the Ashes.

England had to settle for a drawn Test series against South Africa after a slack performance in the final match saw them surrender a hard-fought lead and Cook wants his players to gain experience of closing out victory at the business end of a tour.

"This is our last away Test match before we go to Australia and that has been noted," he said. "This match it hugely relevant (to the Ashes). We've talked about the South Africa trip where we were 1-0 up going into the last game and didn't finish the job.

"Then, we didn't perform to the standards we'd set ourselves on that trip.

"The next time we could be in this position we'll be in Australia so this is a really good experience for us as a side.

"We've talked about what it means to play for England and how big it is to win 2-0.

"We know the next time we could face this situation it will be the Ashes.

"It is a learning curve for us this week that we hope will help us come January next year."

England's immediate prospects were boosted by Stuart Broad's swift recovery from illness.

Broad, the most experienced Test seamer in the ranks at just 23, missed training on Wednesday but was back in the nets yesterday and was ready to lead the attack.

"He had a little illness but we think he'll be fine," said Cook.

"The medical team have seen him this morning and he's up and about now, which he wasn't yesterday. Hopefully, the bug is gone and he'll be fine for the match."

Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan and off-spinner Graeme Swann were safely inked into the starting XI alongside Broad but England delayed the decision on whether or not to include the uncapped James Tredwell as a second spinner in place of quick bowler Steve Finn, who bowled well on his debut in the first Test.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board have terminated the contract of Roqibul Hasan and suspended him for three months after he decided to reverse his decision to retire from international cricket.

The 22-year-old batsman threw the Tigers' plans into disarray when he announced his retirement on the eve of the first Test against England amid suggestions he was unhappy at his absence from the limited-overs set-up.

The decision came just after he had been picked to face the tourists in the series opener in Chittagong having made a century in their pre-Test warm-up game against Bangladesh A.

Coach Jamie Siddons described Roqibul as "a confused kid" at the time and said he would do everything in his power to restore him to the international set-up.

The Barisal Division player subsequently wrote to the BCB overturning his decision but they have taken a hard line against him as a deterrent to other players.

The BCB confirmed Roqibul reversed his retirement on Wednesday but would now face disciplinary measures.

"The board considers Roqibul's conduct in the whole affair as disruptive to the preparation of the Bangladesh team ahead of a highly important Test match," read a BCB statement.

"It was a serious breach of discipline on the part of a contracted player and unbecoming of an international cricketer.

"As such, the board has terminated his contract with immediate effect and he will not be considered for selection in the national team for three months effective from March 19 to June 19, 2010.

"The board believes that timely punitive measures would discourage other players from taking a similar path in future and has decided that very strict actions will be taken against cricketers who break discipline and BCB's code of conduct."

The news is sure to be a frustration to Siddons, who had said he expected Roqibul to join the side on their summer tour of England. His ban means he will not be available for the two Test matches – at Lord's on May 27 and Old Trafford on June 4.

Bangladesh made two changes to their side for the second Test with debutant Jahirul Islam and seamer Shafiul Islam coming in.

Jahirul was brought in to replace Aftab Ahmed at No 4, while Shafiul was picked to share the new ball with Rubel Hossain after Shahadat Hossain disappointed in the first Test.

West Indies A will tour England this summer after their New Zealand counterparts pulled out of a planned visit.

West Indies A will take part in the triangular one-day international series involving England Lions and India A.