Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes inspired a collapse as Bangladesh were bowled out for 220, but England lost early wickets and ended day one on 50-3
And with that, we shall leave you for the day. Join us tomorrow morning for day two.
Here’s a quick report from day one. Vic Marks will be around with something later on, plus a few other bits and bobs for you.
“It’s 50:50 at the moment,” says Moeen Ali. Seems about right.
Sure, if my auntie had balls etc, but...
Take out Tamim and Mominul, and the dismissed batsmen today averaged 5.9!
Another enthralling day of Test cricket in Bangladesh. But think India would have enjoyed it more than anyone else
Thoughts from Tom van der Gucht: “I remember the 2004-5 England side had, what I think Fletcher described as, “Bounce-back-ability” and you’d generally back them to return from seemingly buried positions based on a few inspired performances from key players such as Trescothick, Strauss, Flintoff, Harmy, Hoggy, Jones, KP, Giles, in fact pretty much everyone at one point or other pulled the team back from the brink and out of the mire at one point or other.Is this team too starting to develop that knack? Or are Bangladesh, statistically the weakest test team of all time, just flaky after 15 months out of test cricket and England have been a bit flukey? Then again, you’ve got to take your chances and all that...”
And that’s your lot for the day. The rain has ended our fun for now: England will resume tomorrow and relying on Root and Ali to dig them out of a hole. Still, quite a day, in which they took nine wickets for 49 runs.
Raining hard now. Make plans.
12.3 overs: England 50-3 (Root 15, Ali 2) As has looked likely for a while, the rain has arrived and the batsmen are off in short order. It doesn’t look that hard but you’d imagine that’s it for the day.
12th over: England 50-3 (Root 15, Ali 2) Joe Root is good at cricket. He leans back and strokes a beauty of a back-foot push perfectly between long-off and the cover sweeper, collecting four. Although he then badly misjudges the length of another from Shakib, going back where forwards looked like the bet, and just avoids feathering one to the keeper. Another two runs come with some sharp running after a shot to mid-wicket.
Alex Henshaw’s been running the numbers: “Gary Ballance’s last 20 innings for England - 9,9,1,17,8,28,70,23,43,6,14,23,0,61,6,29,0,1,23, 18”
11th over: England 44-3 (Root 9, Ali 2) Mo got England out of a bit of a hole with the ball, and now needs to do the same with the bat. He gets off the mark with a couple via a thick outside edge, then carefully plays out the rest of the over.
Lovely piece of bowling from Mehedi. Ballance lunges forwards, looks like he regrets the decision about halfway through the shot, and gets a thin edge through to Rahim. In fairness, not a massive amount he did wrong there - an excellent delivery.
10th over: England 42-2 (Root 9, Ballance 9) A rare thing for this day - an uneventful over, as Root plays out a maiden.
9th over: England 42-2 (Root 9, Ballance 9) Root strides forward and gets a single. Then Ballance goes back, tries a cut, completely misses, it deflects off his knee and they get two leg-byes. Some chirp around the bat, too. Lovely bit of business.
8th over: England 39-2 (Root 8, Ballance 9) Root goes back to a couple he might not have gone back to, and gets a single. Ballance then confidently comes down the track and middles a straight drive, denied four runs only by the stumps at the non-striker’s.
7th over: England 36-2 (Root 6, Ballance 8) That’s better from Ballance - he rocks back and punches one through the leg side off the back foot, and as Mehedi tries to adjust his length he goes too far, serving up a shin-high full-toss that is sent to around the same spot as the previous one. Mehedi comes back well though, beating the outside edge a couple of times, most notably with a peach from the last ball that turns past the bat.
6th over: England 28-2 (Root 6, Ballance 0) Wonderful shot from Root - the ball is shortish but not a long-hop, and he has the skill to perfectly guide the cut behind and past point, to the boundary. No more runs from the over. Shakib twirls his hat around his finger.
W00000. Whenever I see an over like that, can't help thinking about Shane Watson in Lumley Castle
5th over: England 24-2 (Root 2, Ballance 0) Ballance, as has been his way for about a year, plays out the over in rather unconvincing fashion.
“England have become your standard Saturday cricket team,” notes Joe Hancock. “Three or four players who score all the runs and get all the wickets and the rest just field and eat the food at tea.” As long as they pay their subs...
Cook is forced back and the ball thunks into his pads: Dharmasena says no to the appeal, Rahim takes an age to refer but it’s a good job he does, as it was rattling leg stump. Helluva day.
4th over: England 24-1 (Cook 14, Root 2) Root spends the over trying to figure out how to get Shakib off the squre, but doesn’t manage it and that’s a maiden.
England have avoided the follow on
3rd over: England 24-1 (Cook 14, Root 2) Root picks up another single with a rather more deliberate shot, then Mehedi drops short and Cook welts a four off the back foot, past cover. He then gets another four with an exceptional shot, the ball not quite as short but on a similar line, but he whips it in front of mid-wicket to the fence. A third four comes, but on the opposite end of the convincing scale: this one an uncertain push outside off, that comes off an thick outside edge and splits slip and gully. 13 runs from the over.
2nd over: England 11-1 (Cook 2, Root 1) Root gets off the mark first ball, but only just - he goes right back to one and gets away with an inside edge just backward of square. Quite an over.
Shakib is on from the other end, and initially Duckett decides that messing around will not do, running down the strip and hammering a six over long-on. A bye brings Cook to the strike, he pushes a single through mid-wicket but then Duckett plays a much less forthright stroke, uncertainly trying to turn the ball past leg slip but only gets an edge through to Rahim.
1st over: England 2-0 (Cook 1, Duckett 1) The first two balls are shortish and outside offish, and both are circumspectly cut for singles. Then Mehedi bowls the jaffa’s jaffa, ripping past Cook’s outside edge and missing it by a hair. The Bangladeshis appeal, but in an unusual turn of events, Dharmasena gets the decision correct by turning them down.
And in short order, 13 cricketers are back out for England’s innings. Alastair Cook and Ben Ducket to open for England, and it’s spin with the new ball for the hosts, Mehedi Hasan getting things started from around the wicket.
“All-rounders, eh,” writes Gareth Fitzgerald. “That scorecard suggests we should just pack the side with them. Seriously though, all wickets taken by 5,6 and 8.”
What a collapse! At about 50 minutes into the afternoon session, Bangladesh were 171-1 and going along very nicely indeed, but 22 overs, nine wickets and just 49 runs later they’re preparing to field. England have bowled well and fielded superbly, catches by Cook and Root close in to the spinners particularly special, but a good few of those wickets were rather generously handed over.
Ali serves up his first ropey delivery in ages, and Taijul uses his bare bat to swipe a full-toss in front of mid-wicket for four. Another run comes in less convincing/intentional fashion via an inside edge, before Kamrul idly shoves at one that goes straight, edges and Root takes a superb catch diving to his left. A five-fer for Mo.
63rd over: Bangladesh 215-9 (Taijul 0, Kamrul 0) Another maiden, as Kamrul barely lays a bat on a Woakes over.
@NickMiller79 If being an allrounder = batting average > bowling, @benstokes38 is just showing off now: #BANvENG batting ave 51, bowling 7
62nd over: Bangladesh 215-9 (Taijul 0, Kamrul 0) Taijul, with an aesthetically pleasing stickerless bat, plays out a maiden, hitting a few, missing a few. Which frankly puts him up on some of his colleagues. The lights are on now, by the way - glum out there.
61st over: Bangladesh 215-9 (Taijul 0, Kamrul 0) The man with the name of great religious harmony Kamrul Islam Rabbi is in. He survives two balls, but that’s another fruitful over for England.
Shakib has been largely standing at one end watching, as the great man Tony Greig would have it, ‘cornage’ at the other end. And now he gets in on the fun, feathering an edge from a widish Woakes ball and Bairstow pouches another.
60th over: Bangladesh 213-8 (Shakib 8, Taijul 0) “Great leveller eh, the game of cricket?” writes Krishnan Patel. “The England captain tying the shoelaces of an 18 year old kid. A PhD Ansari looking clueless.” Not quite a PhD (yet), but the general point taken. New bat Taijul Islam plays out the rest of the over, but not in great comfort.
Mehedi requires a hand from Cook to tie his laces, and then we can begin. Mehedi goes for a big sweep, misses and is thunked on the pad. Umpire Dharmasena says no, but they go upstairs. There’s no edge, so the big question is whether it pitched outside leg....and it didn’t! It’s going to hit middle and leg, and once more Dharmasena is corrected by his pal with the gadgets.
59th over: Bangladesh 213-7 (Shakib 8, Mehedi 1) Woakes gets one to nip in at new batsman Mehedi Hasan, and he squirts a single off an inside edge to get a single. Another successful over for England, though.
Another shonky shot gives up a wicket, as Shuvagata tries to flay a wide half-volley with minimal footwork, but can only succeed in feathering one - perhaps off the toe of his bat - through to Bairstow, who takes a good low catch to his right.
58th over: Bangladesh 211-6 (Shakib 7, Shuvagata 6) More Mo, and he gets some good tweak. Shuvagata whips one off his knees that hits the short-leg, Ballance, on the thigh and briefly pops up, but he can’t take the rebound. Technically a chance, but you’d have to be the most sadistic gym teacher to rip him for that one. The next ball is more emphatic though, as Shuvagata belts a cover drive to the boundary - a little airy, but a fine shot.
57th over: Bangladesh 206-6 (Shakib 6, Shuvagata 2) Shakib helps one off his thigh for a single, then Shuvagata plays out the remainder of the over, pushing a few full ones away from the stumps.
We’re back out for the evening session, not with Steve Lamacq and Jo Wiley. Looks like Chris Woakes will take the ball first up.
5 for 31 in 13.3 overs is one hell of a fightback from England. Moeen & Stokes the deadliest double act since Mobb Deep. #BanvEng
Quite the session. About 70 minutes ago Bangladesh were skipping along without a care in the world, Tamim and Mominul scoring runs at will, but a combination of excellent bowling from Stokes and Ali and some rather addled shots from assorted batsmen knocked five wickets back. England are in control.
56th over: Bangladesh 205-6 (Shakib 5, Shuvagata 2) Shuvagata decides to sod this for a game of soldiers and goes over the top, but doesn’t get all of a hoik over leg and collects a brace of runs. A more circumspect shot nearly costs him, just getting an inside-edge on a big lbw shout. And that’s tea...
55th over: Bangladesh 202-6 (Shakib 4, Shuvagata 0) Fresh meat Shuvagata Hom doesn’t look comfortable against Stokes, just about keeping a ball away from his stumps that skidded and kept low. Great bowling this, even if some of the wickets have been via poor shots.
And another! Again, an avoidable wicket from the Bangladesh point of view, as Sabbir fences at one outside off, but Stokes did coax some away movement out of that one. What a collapse!
54th over: Bangladesh 201-5 (Shakib 3, Sabbir 0) Sabbir Rahman is the new batsman. That catch looks better with every replay - because it slipped between Mushfiqur’s pads Cook had even less time to react - terrific instinct. That’s a wicket maiden. England have taken 3-13 in the last 11 overs, between Stokes and Ali.
And then he’s gone. Mushfiqur comes down the track, tries to flick through mid-wicket but gets an inside-edge that goes through his legs, and Cook reacts brilliantly to take the catch at leg-slip, via a brief juggle. They’ve gone from 171-1 to 201-5 in just under an hour.
53rd over: Bangladesh 201-4 (Shakib 3, Mushfiqur 4) Stokes rumbles on, and sends down a vicious bouncer that thunks Mushfiqur on the head. There’s concern for a short while, and a couple of stretcher bearers job on to the field, but they’re dismissively shooed away by the Bangladesh doctor. Stokes comes in for the last ball of the over and Mushfiqur edges directly through where about fourth slip would have been. Excellent spell this for Stokes - he’s 5-2-6-1 since coming on.
52nd over: Bangladesh 200-4 (Shakib 3, Mushfiqur 3) Ali gets new bat Mushfiqur in some bother and the assembled go up loudly for lbw, but that was turning just down leg. Mushfiqur then gets going with a push for three through the covers and, combined with a Shakib single, that’s the 200 up for Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Kandukuru Nagarjun has some thoughts on how England could approach the India Tests: “Both spinners and seamers can win Tests in India, but the catch is that they have to be attacking, world class bowlers. Picking spinners for the sake of it doesn’t cut it on the subcontinent. Here, off the top of my head, are the bowlers who have won Tests in India in the last twenty five years:
51st over: Bangladesh 196-4 (Shakib 2, Mushfiqur 0) Bangladesh were going so well, but while England haven’t bowled terribly, at least two - perhaps all three - of the wickets to have fallen in the last hour have been more or less donated.
Shakib...does not look comfortable. Stokes tucks him up a couple of times outside off, then he gets away from strike after gloving a single down to fine leg. Still, he looks like Bradman crossed with Pietersen compared to the shot Mahmudullah plays next up, neatly guiding a lazy edge straight to the skip at first slip.
50th over: Bangladesh 195-3 (Mahmudullah 13, Shakib 1) Advance warning: clouds are gathering yonder and rain could be in the post. Shakib still rather keen on getting off the mark, denied by a fine stop at cover by Root, but then gets his first run with a push to a deep mid-off.
49th over: Bangladesh 194-3 (Mahmudullah 13, Shakib 0) Stokes squares Mahmudullah with one on a decent length that shapes away, then clips him on the shoulder with a nippy short number. That’s another maiden - four of the last five have gone by without runs.
48th over: Bangladesh 194-3 (Mahmudullah 13, Shakib 0) Ali might not be a world-class Test spinner, but he can bowl some world-class deliveries, as he draws Shakib forwards and gets one to rip past the edge, very unlucky not to catch it. Shakib jumpily tries to get off the mark, but remains on nought for now.
47th over: Bangladesh 194-3 (Mahmudullah 13, Shakib 0) Mahmudullah plays a wafty drive to Stokes and it lands inches in front of gully. A curious laxness seems to have come over the Bangladesh batsmen, but as I type that Mahmudullah pushes a half-volley through the covers and to the boundary. Stokes gets the last ball to go the other way, dipping in at the batsman, but not enough to cause him any bother.
46th over: Bangladesh 190-3 (Mahmudullah 9, Shakib 0) Shakib-al-Hasan is the new man. A wicket maiden, and suddenly England are back in this.
A profoundly odd few minutes for Monimul, who firstly leaves one that turns just a fraction too much not to clip off stump, and then shifts back to one he probably shouldn’t have shifted back to, wafts a sluggish bat but can only get an inside edge onto middle peg.
45th over: Bangladesh 190-2 (Mominul 66, Mahmudullah 9) Ben Stokes returns to the attack, and there’s a whiff of reverse straight away, the ball just leaning away from Mahmudullah. A couple of bunts to mid-wicket come to nothing, and that’s a maiden.
44th over: Bangladesh 190-2 (Mominul 66, Mahmudallah 9) Ali continues, and they take a pair of singles, before Monimul goes down for a sweep, misses, but the ball catches his pad, or something, and flicks down to the ropes for four leg-byes.
Morning all. Get yer emails to Nick.Miller@theguardian.com or yer tweets to @NickMiller79, if you like.
Right, that’s drinks, which is also me - here’s your Nick Millers to take you through the rest of the day.
43rd over: Bangladesh 184-2 (Mominul 65, Mahmudallah 8) Rashid cracks his first ball into Mominul’s pad again and there’s a loud appeal from Bairstow. But it’s going well down, and he’s probably just trying to ramp up the pressure. And Rashid’s doing a pretty good job of that himself, realising he’s bowling well now and calling Stokes in to second slip ... so Mahmudullah comes down the pitch when he duly tosses full, and annihilates six over long-off.
42nd over: Bangladesh 176-2 (Mominul 64, Mahmudallah 1) Mahmudullah off the mark with an inside edge, then Moeen hits Tamim on the pad - this is good from England. But, well, sake - next comes a long hop that’s rousted over midwicket for four.
My days England needed that.
Did it spin too much? Was there too much bounce?
What was he thinking! Moeen angles in a flat one, Tamim has a look, offers the pad, it hits and he’s gone. Still, what a knock.
41st over: Bangladesh 171-1 (Tamim 104, Mominul 60) Rashid is into this now, finding a bit of flight and drift, absolutely diddling Tamim with the googly. It’s so good he can’t get a bat on it, and then when he does an edge gets him three.
“I agree with you Daniel,” sayd Kevin Wilson. “Trying to beat India through spin bowling is going to be pretty fruitless. Can you imagine how much Kohli and Rahane will murder these three? Tell Mo he’s the only frontline spinner and Root has to pitch in. 8-11 should be Woakes, Broad, Plunkett and either Finn or Ball.”
40th over: Bangladesh 167-1 (Tamim 101, Mominul 60) Moeen starts with two dots, but Tamim is after his century, dancing to leg to make room and lifting a brilliant shot over cover for four. AND THERE IT IS! He moves away again, inside-out again, this time zetzing through cover - he’s 101 not out. And what an innings it’s been, starting slowly but violent, vicious, brutal and cruel thereafter. Beautiful stuff.
39th over: Bangladesh 159-1 (Tamim 93, Mominul 60) The batsmen milk Rashid for singles, three off the first four balls, but then a leg spinner of fuller length induces a false shot, a drive, as he tries to sneak the ball between bat and pad. He follows it up with a googly, and that’s a decent over; he might just be finding a groove.
38th over: Bangladesh 155-1 (Tamim 91, Mominul 59) Moeen replaces Finn who, in the end, can’t be trusted as a second seamer. It’s a shame, but it still is. Anyway, one off Moeen’s over, the final ball of which is a jaffa, leaping off the pitch - Mominul thinks about playing it but convinces himself not to. I suppose, if we were were feeling generous, we might say England have been unfortunate, in that no piece of pitch misbehaviour has really helped them. If.
Meanwhile, elsewhere..
Australian Test squad shock: paceman Joe Mennie picked to face South Africa https://t.co/SEU4lpuf2I via @guardian_sport
37th over: Bangladesh 155-1 (Tamim 90, Mominul 59) Rashid has a field set for legspinners and manages to keep it tight. One from the over. So, what do England do in India? Five seamers?
36th over: Bangladesh 154-1 (Tamim 89, Mominul 59) Rob Key uses an interesting point talking about England’s improved consistency since lunch - “soaking up concentration”. The idea is that if you offer people lots of out balls, it’s less difficult to keep focused through an innings, whereas if you consistently ask questions, they’ve only so much discipline. The problem, though, is a flat track and two set batsmen - though there’s a bit of reverse -swing first up, Finn then delivers the ball on his line, pitching middle-and-leg, but Tamim simply snaps it through midwicket for four. And, well, oh dear, there’re four more, a wide one helped on its way through gully by Mominul.
“Not meaning to be negative,” means to be negative Steven Pye, “but I wonder what odds you can get on India to beat England 5-0 in the forthcoming Test series?”
35th over: Bangladesh 145-1 (Tamim 84, Mominul 55) Strangled appeal following Rashid’s first ball, another legspinner that takes inside edge before pad. But he follows it up with a full toss that cedes one, and three more come when Tamim bumps to third man. This is better from England, in the way that a slap in the face is better than a heel to the solar plexus.
34th over: Bangladesh 141-1 (Tamim 81, Mominul 54) It’s about time Finn attacked the body, though I shudder at the consequences of his getting it wrong. Anyway, he tries the line and length approach, pitching one to Tamim back of a length on middle-and-leg and moving it away - that’s the badger. As with Rashid, six of those and we’re talking - or talkin’ if you prefer, you youngster you. He manages another too - perhaps things are changing. Perhaps.
33rd over: Bangladesh 138-1 (Tamim 79, Mominul 53) If England’s spin attack was a band, it would be... I’m going for Keane. In commentary, they think Rashid is trying too much and should just bowl six legspinners so at least Cook can set a field. And he does and it’s much, much better, giving no scoring opportunities until Tamim takes the final delivery off his pads to backward square-leg for a single.
32nd over: Bangladesh 137-1 (Tamim 79, Mominul 52) The atmosphere in the ground is escalating as people keep arriving and Bangladesh keep scoring, Tamim caning Finn through midwicket. He responds well with a straighter ball, but it’s difficult to set a field to such erratic bowling - every ball should be there.
31st over: Bangladesh 132-1 (Tamim 75, Mominul 51) Tamim takes two to fine leg, then Bairstow misses a thick outside edge! It’s low and tricky, but that’s what he’s there for, instead taking it on thumb. As punishment, he has to chase the next ball all the way to the fence as they run three and then Mominul stands and delivers, belting four over the top to bring up a chanceless fifty. Ten off the over, and England are in shtuck.
30th over: Bangladesh 122-1 (Tamim 70, Mominul 46) Finn has the hackysack from the other end and finds his spot second up, back of a length and springing up outside off, forcing Tamim to defend. And the next ball does similarly, dribbling if not quite spitting off the pitch and surprising Tamim, who takes it on the splice. One run from the over: a Lara-style knee-up pull that shows us how easy-paced this pitch is.
29th over: Bangladesh 121-1 (Tamim 69, Mominul 46) Dearie me, it’d be so great if Rashid was great but he just isn’t nor is he going to be. After Tamim takes a single off his second delivery, a slow, wide one is caned through the covers but a dive from Duckett saves four and they run two. For his trouble Duckett earns himself a going-over from Bairstow after chucking the ball back halfway.
Adil Rashid has the ball...
Lunchtime email: “Could you ask Mac Millings why he would go and see Louis CK’s home in Charleston?” snarks Simon Ward. “He does seem to have paid a heavy price…”
But what a ringtone.
Anyhow, I’ll be back presently.
What a session for Bangladesh. They’ll have fancied themselves after winning the toss, but superb, confident, aggressive hitting from Tamim means they’re well ahead of the game given the speed at which they’ve scored and their need to bowl England out twice. Should the pitch deteriorate, they’re in with a great chance of squaring the series.
England, meanwhile, could do with bowling well; the occasional decent ball isn’t going to be enough.
28th over: Bangladesh 118-1 (Tamim 68, Mominul 44) Stokes gets some lift which leaves Tamim - he sways gently out of the way. And Stokes has bowled pretty well this morning, it’s just that he’s had nae support from the other end so it’s been impossible for England to create pressure. But Stokes is doing his best, tempting Mominul to drive a fuller one last delivery of the session - an inside edge sends the ball into the off side and that’s lunch.
27th over: Bangladesh 117-1 (Tamim 67, Mominul 44) Any turn that there is is so slow as to give the batters plenty of time to play for it; Mominul flips Rashid through midwicket for four. But a better ball looks as though it’s beaten then bat when Mominul misses a sweep, only for an under-edge to earn two just as Bairstow perks up. And to rub it in, next comes a cover drive that you could put in a museum; four more, and one over left of what’s been a brilliant session for Bangladesh.
26th over: Bangladesh 109-1 (Tamim 66, Mominul 37) Again, Stokes sends one leg side, again Tamim tries to introduce some bat, and again he misses. But really, that’s not the line; flat though this track is, England need to bowl accurately on it. Next up, Stokes clatters one into Tamim’s sternum and ouch! that looks like it tickles - a replay shows it came off the inside-edge, and there’s a break while he recovers. Stokes is coming around the wicket now, swerving in around the umpire which must make him tricky to pick up. But Tamim handles him just fine, though England will take the maiden.
The ball brushed the shirt having skirted past the gloves, and though Stokes doesn’t look convinced, it looks spot-on to me.
Tamim looks pretty sure!
Well, you can’t say it wasn’t coming. Stokes slants one across, Tamim misses with the leg-glance and it clips the gloves before being snaffled behind.
25th over: Bangladesh 109-1 (Tamim 66, Mominul 37) Rashid replaces Ansari or, put another way, England have now tried everything in this session. “Boom, boom Tamim” chant some men in the crowd dressed up as tigers, stopping as soon as the camera pans away. Tamim and Mominul, meanwhile, bunt three singles and oh dear Alastair Cook, I mean what sort of captain calls heads in this situation.
24th over: Bangladesh 106-1 (Tamim 64, Mominul 36) Tamim flicks to midwicket for two, first runs Stokes has conceded today, and three singles follow.
“Is Zafar Ansari being Kerriganed in front of our eyes?” asks Krishnan Patel. “Do you think the circumstance of debuts largely determines careers? This is really unfortunate for Ansari because pitch looks an absolute road.”
23rd over: Bangladesh 101-1 (Tamim 60, Mominul 35) Mominul has quietly nudged his way to 30, but throws hands when Ansari starts his over with a full toss for the third consecutive time; the ball duly flashes all the way to the fence, behind square on the off side. And two singles later, it’s the 100 partnership, from 123 balls and what a confident, aggressive effort it’s been, 60 to Tamim with eight fours and 35 to Mominul with six fours, plus five extras.
22nd over: Bangladesh 95-1 (Tamim 59, Mominul 30) Joe Root is shining the ball with the sleeve over his hand as England look for reverse, and Stokes the beats the bat for the first time, landing back of a length and jagging towards the left-handed Tamim’s off stump. It raps his thigh and there’s a strangled appeal, but pitched miles outside leg and was probably going over the top too. Another maiden.
21st over: Bangladesh 95-1 (Tamim 59, Mominul 30) Ansari continues, and Tamim jams down a horizontal bat that sends the ball for four to fine leg. And then two deliveries later he flows into a cover drive that hisses to the fence - England are waiting for him to make a mistake, more or less, though Zafar has plenty of room for improvement, if only he can settle.
20th over: Bangladesh 86-1 (Tamim 54, Mominul 26) How vex-up must Imrul Kayes feel - though perhaps less so as Ben Stokes comes into bowl, sometime later than I’d have brought him on, and I’ve significant captaincy experience in Test cricket. Mominul is circumspect, playing out five balls of a maiden, but the final delivery nearly takes his edge as he fences outside off - looked like that moved off a crack.
19th over: Bangladesh 86-1 (Tamim 54, Mominul 26) More turn, and more notably, more bounce for Ansari - well, from one ball anyway, which climbs past Mominul’s gloves and into his midriff. Ansari’s into this now, and cedes just two from the over - the pitch looks to have a little more in it than just five overs ago, but Bangladesh won’t mind that, given their superior array of superior spinners.
Tamim (51 not out)
Getting great value for his shots
21 off 14 drives
11 off 3 pulls
9 off 3 flicks
3 off 1 sweep#banvseng
18th over: Bangladesh 84-1 (Tamim 53, Mominul 25) But here’s some uneven bounce for Moeen, the ball sticking in the pitch and bouncing higher - maybe things are looking up for England. Maybe. Still, they’ve staunched the flow of runs, at least.
17th over: Bangladesh 81-1 (Tamim 52, Mominul 23) England desperately need some control, but where the merry wives of Windsor are they finding that? Ansari tries a shorter one and finds some turn and bounce, but that’s not going to be his length - the pitch is offering help very erratically.
16th over: Bangladesh 80-1 (Tamim 51, Mominul 23) Rob Key wonders whether the ball might grip more once it’s softer - it’s that kind of pitch. Meanwhile, we see that the delivery prior to the review - the one after which Bairstow appealed - actually hit pad before bat, but would’ve been umpire’s call had England reviewed. England’s spinners are going to get marmalised in India I’m afraid - Moeen bowls another expensive over, eight from it including a four over the top and down the ground that Tamim doesn’t even get all of.
15th over: Bangladesh 72-1 (Tamim 50, Mominul 16) I wonder if England might have bowled Stokes a little earlier when the ball was doing something - now, they’re hoping it reverses. In comes Ansari for his second over and after Mominul takes a single, Tamim flips three to finest leg - that’s his 50, and off 48 balls, too. Not bad, given it took him 20 to get off the mark.
14th over: Bangladesh 67-1 (Tamim 47, Mominul 14) Moeen’s first ball is a jazzer, spinning off a length past Tamim’s outside edge, but he’s not finding turn every ball. In a way that’s a problem for the batsman, as he doesn’t know what’s coming, but hard to set an attacking field in that context. Anyway Tamim then gets 2 into the off side before he tries a cut and appears to takes it on the pad first - there’s an appeal from Bairstow but Cook and Moeen, opt not to review. Next ball though, Tamim offers the pad, and when Dharmasena says not out, this time they do review to discover it was bouncing well over the top. Gosh, that was a bit desperate.
13th over: Bangladesh 65-1 (Tamim 45, Mominul 14) Decent start for Ansari, an arm ball confusing Tamim who plays for the turn and edges three past slip. They skank a quick single next, and the throw misses - hit and it’s very close - after which Tamim, unwilling to let Ansari settle, comes down the pitch and cracks through cover for four. And then he does it again, this time driving inside-out past the bowler for four more. The last three overs have gone for 34 runs, and Tamim is seeing it now.
“Re Mac Millings’ bathroom overflow,” tweets Paul, “perhaps he might try Crudfunder”.
12th over: Bangladesh 52-1 (Tamim 33, Mominul 13) Wide full toss to start from Woakes, and Tamim wastes no time twisting it to midwicket for four. Athar tells us that the pitch will get better for batting during the day and the sun is now out, which will quicken up the outfield even further. Oh, and there’s another wide one, Tamim with even more time than Louis Armstrong to square drive for four - what a shot that is. And they’re coming quickly now, Tamim raising the 50 partnership by crumping four more from outside off over midwicket! Woakes is getting sent for! 13 from the over, all of them to Tamim, and it might be time for Ansari.
11th over: Bangladesh 39-1 (Tamim 20, Mominul 13) “Stay patient lads,” calls Bairstow after ceding four leg-byes and already it’s looking like that kind of day. Mominul takes Moeen for a single, then Tamim flips him to midwicket for three, and there’s very little to excite the bowlers or livebloggers here. We know who the real victims are.
10th over: Bangladesh 31-1 (Tamim 17, Mominul 12) Woakes is back at Finn’s end and he’s already with the cutters. They get him naewhere, and his last ball is short and wide of off, giving Tamim plenty of time to rock back and cart it through midwicket for four. It’s going to be a long day for England.
“Just got back from seeing Louis C.K. live in Charleston,” emails Mac Millings, “Only to find the babysitter traumatised (normal) because my kids flooded the upstairs bathroom (slightly less common) and now it’s dripping buckets into the living room (somewhat concerning). I have to be up early tomorrow, to make sure the fundraiser my school unexpectedly asked me last week to organise for Haitian victims.of Hurricane Matthew goes smoothly tomorrow.
9th over: Bangladesh 27-1 (Tamim 13, Mominul 12) Moeen continues and finds a modicum of turn, but nothing to trouble anyone, and then Tamim loses patience, prancing down the pitch and golf-swinging one through mid-off for four. Lovely shot.
8th over: Bangladesh 21-1 (Tamim 8, Mominul 12) Finn carries on as Athar Ali Kahn says Imrul should’ve left the ball that got him alone. Not sure about that - it was there to be punished - but it’s one way of not getting out. He also says that England could be in the field a long time, and winning the toss gives Bangladesh a good opportunity to win the match - no doubt the absence of Broad is helpful in this aspect too. Who is going to take the 20 wickets that England need?
7th over: Bangladesh 19-1 (Tamim 6, Mominul 12) It won’t be a full spell for the seamers, or for Woakes at least - Moeen is into the attack to enjoy some hard ball. He bowled a brilliant first spell in Chittagong but this pitch is skiddier and not gripping as much - it takes five deliveries for one to turn, Tamim playing down into the off side for one. I wonder if Moeen will be back, or if that was just an oddy to see what’s what.
6th over: Bangladesh 18-1 (Tamim 5, Mominul 12) Tamim looks nervous after 20 balls on 0, then chases a wide one - it looks like 4, but Duckett gets a hand to it at point saving 2. And he’s got the taste now, pulling a short one to square-leg without getting all of it - they run 3. This brings Mominul onto strike, and he leans into a delectable straight drive for four more. Nine from the over.
5th over: Bangladesh 9-1 (Tamim 0, Mominul 9) I wonder how many overs the quicks will get here - I’d reckon more or less a full spell, as Woakes hits a crack and moves the ball off the seam, away from Mominul who flashes and misses. But the pressure is released immediately when a scrambled seamer does very little and is clipped to square-leg for the first boundary of the innings. And there’s another, chopped off the toe between second slip and gully - not such a good over, that.
“Like Finn in and I really like Batty out,” tweets Jonah. “Hope Cook gets the young spinner on as soon as the seamers finish.”
4th over: Bangladesh 1-1 (Tamim 0, Mominul 0) Finn’s second ball is a goodun, 83mph and on a length. Tamim comes forward and gets an inside edge, which drops shy of Ballance at short-leg, but prompts some chattering in the field. Much as I want to, I really cannot get on board with Finn’s fringe, though it is undeniably Watford. Maiden.
3rd over: Bangladesh 1-1 (Tamim 0, Mominul 0) Kayes must be absolutely cursing himself. That was an absolutely miserable dismissal.
“Is it going to rain?” asks Jonah. “Be mighty vexed if I got up at 04:15 for English weather and we go off!”
Short wide one from Woakes and Kayes climbs in with a square cut, but neither opens the face nor rolls the wrists, picking out the man at point who holds a splendid leaping catch above his head.
3rd over: Bangladesh 1-0 (Tamim 0, Imrul 1) Woakes’ first delivery finds some bounce, hitting the shoulder of Imrul Kayes’s bat - maybe there’s more in this that seemed so initially.
2nd over: Bangladesh 1-0 (Tamim 0, Imrul 1) Finn opens up with a full toss wide of off that Imrul thick bottom edges, almost hits his stumps; they run one. And Finn is on the money next up, moving one away from the bat - the slips appeal for a catch but no one else is interested. We then see an overhead shot of the pitch, and there are bare cracks, but not much dust - the track is much harder than in Chittagong.
1st over: Bangladesh 0-0 (Tamim 0, Imrul 0) Woakes, who is playing because he hasn’t bowled much in the sub-Continent, has three slips, a gully and a short-leg. His second ball dies on its way through to Bairstow which tells us it’s going to be hard bloody work, but he gets a bit of inswing and carry immediately thereafter, confusing Tamim who is beaten after deciding to play inside it. Maiden.
It’s a bit overcast in Dhaka, as Woakes prepares to to open the bowling.
More Ansari. Apparently, he got a double first from Cambridge, but people don’t like to lazily bang on about it. Here he is as a student.
Congratulations to @surreycricket's Zafar Ansari who makes his England Test debut in Dhaka. Go well pic.twitter.com/cPAQRlBsAu
I imagine standing next to Ben Stokes is a faintly mortifying experience. Now this is a man.
Ben Stokes is explaining that he was getting caught on the crease against spin, so changed his trigger. It was slightly across himself, but now it’s either all the way down the pitch or all the way back.
This really is a huge chance for Zafar Ansari. I know it was always the plan for him to play here, but had Batty had a belter in Chittagong, who knows. As it is, he can now cement himself for India.
We’re all friends here, so an admission: I’ve just had a packet of Nerds for breakfast (raspberry and tropical punch, now that you ask). An excellent source of vitamin C. Anyway, share your most nutritious meals here.
Alastair Cook would’ve batted too. He says the wicket will turn more, rather than ball one. He thinks he’s got a team to win the match, or at least he said that - it didn’t really sound like he believed it. But Finn and Ansari replace Broad and Batty, the first change reflecting the absence of James Anderson for at least the start of the India series.
Cook also says that he didn’t think about altering the batting - batters get more chances than bowlers on the basis that they might just get a good ball.
Here are the teams: debutant Ansari & Finn coming in for Batty & Broad; Ban call up Hom for Shafiul Islam. https://t.co/HluEqD7i4f SS2 now pic.twitter.com/JA3UnYghIv
Bangladesh make one change, and it’s an attacking one, the fast-medium of Shafiul dropping out and Shuvugata and his off-breaks coming in.
Mushfiqur says the pitch looks dry, but should be better for batting than in Chittagong.
So, Mark Ramprakash has presented Zafar Ansari with his cap; mixed messages there...
On the other hand...
Brian Clough once quipped that he quite liked the Boat Race, but couldn’t understand why the same teams get to the final every year, a sentiment not irrelevant to Test cricket. It’s now a generation since Sri Lanka cemented themselves as a staple, and with the demise of West Indies, the format is desperate for new blood.
Happily it appears to have found it, the manner of Bangladesh’s performance last week - in attitude, skill and testicles - a brilliant fillip for the game. Though they still need to prove themselves away from home, on their own patch they are a hard night for anyone, on which point it’s also worth noting the role played by the track at Chittagong which somehow managed to inspire simultaneously attacking and attritional cricket. If Dhaka is anything like as sporting, we’re in for another treat.
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