Hopefully Gatt's curry-tasting won't cause as much indigestion as this delivery did © Getty Images

Mike Gatting, the former England captain whose fondness for food was the subject of a thousand anecdotes during his 23-year career, has been charged with the tricky task of finding a curry chef to cater for the Bangladeshi cricket team during their tour of England.

Gatting, 47, has been named on a panel of judges that includes one of Newcastle's finest Bangladesh restaurateurs, Daraz Aziz, plus - importantly - a member of the Bangladesh squad itself, for the inaugural "npower Red Hot Curry Challenge".

All curry restaurants in the North East of England have been invited to enter by the Test-series sponsors, npower, with the chance to prepare a feast for the team later this summer. A tasting session will take place at Chester-le-Street on Thursday, June 2, the eve of the second Test.

"I'm a big curry fan and am looking forward to tasting the region's best curries," said an enthusiastic Gatting. "I fancy myself as a bit of a chef but I am sure my talents will be put to shame by the local experts here in the North East. I can't wait to savour the winning curry."