I don't accept this implication since many other sides have been sitting ducks in previous years, (see for example Wally Hammond's world record score against gormless New Zealanders or the relentless plundering of the nascent South African test side). Whether they're quite as bad is up for debate, but Giles has never bowled in a Test match against the weakened Zimbabwe team, and I'd argue that facing the Flowers is no average-booster, and has played a maximum of four Tests (England's complete number) against Bangladesh in a long career, so in this specific case it's largely irrelevent.

TCH