• Home
• /
• Cricket

Bangladesh wobble in England Test

Graeme Swann and debutant Steven Finn shared two early wickets as England tightened the screws on Bangladesh in the opening Test on Monday.

The hosts, chasing an improbable 513-run target, lost openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes before reaching 45-2 in their second innings at lunch on the penultimate day.

Bangladesh’s highest fourth-innings total is 413, against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 2008.

Tamim, top-scorer in the first innings with 86, contributed only 14 this time before being bowled in off-spinner Swann’s second over.

Kayes fell in the last over of the morning session, caught by wicket-keeper Matt Prior off paceman Finn after making 23 with four boundaries.

England batted for 50 minutes in the morning, adding 78 runs to their overnight total of 131-5 before declaring their second innings closed at 209-7.

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan bagged both the wickets, removing Prior (seven) and Swann (32) to finish with 4-62.

Swann hit three fours in his brisk 25-ball knock, while middle-order batsman Ian Bell cracked one six and four boundaries in a 55-ball 39 not out. They put on 65 for the eighth wicket.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 296 in their first innings in reply to England’s mammoth 599-6 declared.