England 50 for 3 (Root 15*, Moeen 2*) trail Bangladesh 220 (Tamim 104, Mominul 66, Moeen 5-57) by 170 runs
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Tamim Iqbal brought up his third Test century against England © Associated Press
Bangladesh recovered somewhat from an abysmal collapse of 9 for 49 in their first innings to remove three England wickets in the 12.3 overs possible before rain brought an early finished to the first day of the Dhaka Test. Their dramatic slide from 171 for 1, following a majestic hundred from Tamim Iqbal, had handed the momentum to England but Mehedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan once again knocked over the top three cheaply.
Ben Duckett was caught behind in the second over, a tickle of glove off Shakib taken down the leg side, and Alastair Cook was pinned lbw by Mehedi, following a successful review. Gary Ballance prodded and poked for 9 before nicking a beauty from Mehedi to leave England 42 for 3 and looking anxiously to Joe Root for the innings of substance required.
More to follow…
Innings break Bangladesh 220 (Tamim 104, Mominul 66, Moeen 5-57) v England
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An astonishing collapse either side of the tea interval saw Bangladesh squander the advantage given them by Tamim Iqbal’s imperious century, a nausea-inducing slide of 9 for 49 sending them tumbling from the seemingly dominant position of 171 for 1 to 220 all out in the space of 23 overs.
Moeen Ali was the main catalyst and beneficiary, although Ben Stokes’ steadfast spell of 6-2-7-2 before tea deserved high praise, his mastery reverse swing once again causing the sorts of problems that spin had initially failed to achieve. Moeen took the key wickets of Tamim and Mominul Haque and finished with 5 for 57 – only his second five-for in Tests.
Despite losing a wicket in the third over of the day, Tamim’s third Test hundred against England had given Bangladesh a solid foundation and left Alastair Cook frantically shuffling through his bowling options. Mominul Haque scored a crisp half-century as he and Tamim inflicted fresh psychological blows on an already beleaguered spin cohort during a stand of 170 – Bangladesh’s highest for the second wicket against England – which came at a rate comfortably above four an over.
But Moeen removed both set batsmen in the space of four overs, when greater returns seemed in the offing, and Stokes brought the game back England’s way as he dismissed Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman, so nearly the hero of Chittagong, with the interval approaching. Chris Woakes struck twice after tea, having Shuvagata Hom and Shakib Al Hasan caught behind, before England successfully turned to the DRS to have Mehedi Hasan lbw. Moeen then rounded things up by having Kamrul Islam Rabbi taken at slip. After Tamim and Monimul, the next-highest score was 13.
It was quite a turnaround from the morning, when England’s subcontinental weak spot was exposed once again. Tamim recorded his eighth Test hundred, a regal innings full of judicious stroke-making that culminated in two full-blooded drives through the covers to go to three figures, though he did not add many more having unwisely chosen to pad up to Moeen.
Mominul’s first significant contribution of the series was also an accomplished knock but he was then bowled for 66 playing back to Moeen’s arm ball. That over, the 46th of the innings, was the first maiden bowled by a spinner, a measure of how England had been unable to contain the pair.
With the ball reversing, however, Stokes had Mahmudullah taken at slip and he then roughed up Mushfiqur Rahim with a snorting bouncer that struck the Bangladesh captain on the back of the helmet as he turned away. He got up to carry on after treatment by the physio but was back in the changing room minutes later after a brilliant catch from Cook at leg slip, who clung on at the second attempt after Mushfiqur had inside-edged a glance off Moeen through his legs.
Mushfiqur had better luck at the start of his 50th Test, having won the toss and decided to bat first – just the sort of good fortune he must have hoped for after electing to go in with a fourth spinner, Shuvagata taking the place vacated by Shafiul Islam on a cracked surface that was expected to turn.
Tamim’s eighth 50-plus score against England in 11 innings came after Woakes had picked up a wicket in his second over and helped Bangladesh respond by putting on a rousing stand with Mominul. He motored to 60-ball fifty, having failed to score off his first 19 deliveries during a watchful opening, and also successfully utilised the review system, such a feature of the first Test, by overturning a caught-behind decision on 66, shortly before the lunch break.
Cook struggled for control throughout the morning session, with only Stokes going at less than three runs an over. Zafar Ansari, into the side as one of two changes from England’s victory in Chittagong, saw his six overs taxed to the tune of 36 runs and the debutant left-armer was not seen again during the afternoon.
England had initially found success after being put into the field, throttling the scoring and removing Imrul Kayes, cutting lackadaisically to point for 1. After four overs the card had gone nowhere at 1 for 1, before Mominul eased the pressure with a brace of boundaries off Woakes; Tamim, meanwhile, was content to bide his time against the new ball.
Cook turned to Moeen in the seventh over and while he began tidily enough, the sight of spin encouraged Tamim to kick into gear as he stepped out to drive his first boundary a couple of overs later. Three fours off Woakes – leg-side flick, back-foot drive and a meaty pull – confirmed that he had hit his stride.
Two more boundaries came in the next over, as Tamim welcomed Ansari by driving him through the covers and down the ground. Ansari did succeed in drawing an edge with his second delivery, though it scuttled wide of slip for three, and his opening over in international cricket (his contribution limited to fielding in his only ODI to date) cost 13 runs, England still no nearer to finding a spinner who could offer control.
Mominul’s first three scoring shots went for four but he then ceded the impetus to his partner, as Bangladesh reached the top of the hour in a much more comfortable position at 67 for 1, with England also wasting a review against Tamim when he padded up to a Moeen delivery that was shown to be bouncing over the stumps. Tamim’s fifty came up via a sweep off Ansari and it took a vigorous spell from Stokes to ensure Bangladesh’s progress would not be completely unfettered.
It was Stokes who thought he had broken through, too, when Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger for a catch down the leg side. However, DRS quickly confirmed that the ball had flicked Tamim’s thigh pad rather than glove, the procession of successful reviews in this series growing longer. Tamim then took a blow to the ribs from a Stokes short ball but Mominul stroked the 15th boundary of the morning, off Adil Rashid, to move within sight of his own half-century and ensure Bangladesh went in to lunch far the happier of the two sides. Their serenity was not to last.
Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo