Wickets fall but Bangladesh lead grows

Lunch Bangladesh 220 and 268 for 7 (Shuvagata 15*) lead England 244 by 244 runs
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Miller: Bangladesh race to day two advantage

Four wickets fell in an action-packed morning session but Bangladesh kept the ledger even by adding 116 to their total to give themselves an excellent chance of forcing victory in the second Test. No batsman was able to survive for long but their approach was positive and by the lunch interval they led by 244 – the same amount England managed in their first innings – as English tempers began to fray.

Ben Stokes was at the centre of trying to lift England but their frustrations mounted after losing their second review seeking a caught-behind decision against Sabbir Rahman. He eventually fell to the last ball of the session, lbw to Adil Rashid, after a brisk partnership with Shuvagata Hom that again repelled England after two wickets had fallen in successive overs.

England created chances from the outset but Bangladesh’s batsmen kept pushing the scoreboard on, the better to insure against another damaging collapse. Imrul Kayes swept and nudged while the more adventurous Shakib Al Hasan rode his luck to add 48 together inside the first hour and although the wickets did eventually come, England’s hopes of running through the middle and lower order for a second time were stilled.

Imrul’s half-century held Bangladesh together on the second evening and he had two let-offs before finally falling for 78. In the sixth over of the morning, with Imrul on 67, a leg-side flick off Zafar Ansari went quickly to the right of Alastair Cook at leg slip and the England captain could only palm it away; then on 74, a simpler chance off the bowling of Moeen Ali was put down by Joe Root, going one-handed to his right at slip. Root had recovered enough from a bout of illness to take his place on the field but was perhaps not at his most alert.

The Bangladesh opener fell shortly after, lbw to Moeen attempting to sweep, and Shakib might have been stumped in the following over, charging at Ansari, only for the ball to explode off the pitch and clear Bairstow’s right shoulder. Ansari should certainly have had Shakib’s wicket on 23 when a slog-sweep picked out Ben Duckett at deep midwicket but he made a complete hash of the catch.

Mushfiqur Rahim also survived a chance off Ansari, with Steven Finn only able to get fingertips on a mistimed chip running back at mid-off. England’s use of technology was also erratic, failing with one DRS attempt against Mushfiqur – Ansari’s delivery pitching outside leg – but opting not to review a pair of lbw appeals from Moeen’s bowling, against Shakib and Mushfiqur, that would likely have been overturned.

Shakib’s innings was finally cut short on 41 as Rashid ripped a legbreak in from round the wicket, the batsman playing on as he tried to cut. In the following over, Stokes had Mushfiq taken at slip but by then the lead was above 200 and England’s task on a surface that continued to assist spin bowling was looking a daunting one.

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Source: ESPN Crickinfo