CRICKET ENGLAND v BANGLADESH:BANGLADESH, AFTER their toil of Thursday, enjoyed a day in the sun yesterday, showing real character as they claimed the honours. If England, or at least Jonathan Trott, had been dominant on the first day, as if playing out a scripted scenario of massive score followed by hot-knife-through-butter bowling and an early departure, then they were sadly deluded by the events that unfolded in front of an excellent crowd.
Trott, in the unobtrusive way that had underpinned an otherwise lacklustre England batting display, was able to progress to 226 before he steered a ball timidly to gully.
But there was little else of note around him, with Eoin Morgan falling to the new ball first thing and the last six England wickets going for 135 runs.
Instead it was a day of celebration for the Bangladesh paceman Shahadat Hossain who, from around the wicket, bowled with spirit to take three for 12 in 21 balls after lunch to finish with five for 98.
The celebration as he splayed the stumps of James Anderson to end the innings, and the warmth of his greeting from the crowd, revived memories of the day Makhaya Ntini got his name on the Lord’s honours board. No Bangladeshi had made it previously nor ever looked remotely like doing so.
Later there was the real prospect that the brilliantly cavalier opener Tamim Iqbal might make it a memorable double as he sliced, diced and desiccated the England bowling, only to be denied by Kevin Pietersen’s direct hit from gully to run him out for 55, the likeliest mode of dismissal and third time lucky for England after two previous visits to the third umpire’s box had proved fruitless.
England began to offer a challenge only in the last hour or so, when Andrew Strauss, whose captaincy on his first day back in the field lacked authority or insight, finally opted to switch Steven Finn to the Pavilion end, the one better suited to his abilities. Finn found rhythm and removed the stubborn opener Imrul Kayes, although it was the last success as Junaid Siddique and Jahural Islam saw Bangladesh to 172 for two and the morrow.
Overall, though, this was a very ordinary performance from the England seamers which will have had new bowling coach David Saker feeling like a gardener who has taken over an allotment only to find it full of bindweed. On this evidence he has got some work to do, some of it technical, specifically in the case of Anderson, and some tactical.
By a distance Finn in his second spell was the most dangerous bowler, gaining pace as he found his rhythm, getting good bounce and, with what is an excellent action, a consistently challenging line. Already he is making a strong case to be included in England’s ideal line-up.
For Tim Bresnan, though, given the new ball with Anderson, it was a chastening experience, especially after his successes in the World Twenty20. There was little swing for him from the Nursery – the choice end for away-swing bowlers on account of the way the slope sets a bowler at the crease and the prevailing wind from fine-leg.
His relatively gentle pace on a quality batting pitch was meat and drink to Tamim’s aggressive, devil-may-care instincts. He simply teed off and Bresnan had little response.
The biggest worry, though, is Anderson, whose obsession with the delivery that swings away from left-handers means his arm now goes beyond the vertical, a default action that will be hard to undo.
In the morning Trott never broke step on his stately march to a double-hundred, well organised as ever over the course of eight hours and more, accumulative on the leg-side, driving neatly through the covers and finally crossing the border with a nudged single. If the applause on his dismissal was generous, then there was an element of relief too, for watching, like viewing an obscure art-house movie, had become something of an ordeal.
Whether Trott is able to kick on from this is doubtful for he is playing on the understanding that it is only because of Paul Collingwood’s indisposition. The temptation is to suggest this is a turning point for him but that would be misguided. The England management know enough about him for this innings, worthy as it was, to make no difference.
Lord's Scoreboard
Overnight: England 362-4 ( J Trott 175 no, A Strauss 83).
England: First Innings continued
J Trott c Kayes b Shahadat Hossain 226
E Morgan c Mushfiqur Rahim b Shahadat 44
M Prior run out 16
T Bresnan c Siddique b Shahadat Hossain 25
G Swann c Rubel Hossain b Shakib Al 22
J Anderson b Shahadat Hossain 13
S Finn not out 3
Extras (lb10 w8 nb13) 31
Total (125 overs) 505
Fall: 1-7; 2-188; 3-227; 4-258; 5-370; 6-400; 7-463; 8-478; 9-498.
Bowling: Shahadat Hossain 28-3-98-5; Robiul Islam 22-2-107-0; Shakib Al Hasan 27-3-109-2; Rubel Hossain 23-0-109-1; Mahmudullah 23-3-59-1; Mohammad Ashraful 2-0-13-0.
Bangladesh: First Innings
Iqbal run out 54
Kayes c Strauss b Finn 44
Siddique not out 53
Islam not out 16
Extras (lb1 w3 nb1) 5
Total 2 wkts (53 overs)172
Fall: 1-88. 2-134.
To Bat: Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.
Bowling: Anderson 16-2-52-0; Bresnan 15-2-65-0; Finn 12-4-39-1; Swann 10-6-15-0.
