England's attack fails to deliver after Shahadat breathes life into Bangladesh

England 505 Bangladesh 172-2: Tourists defy forecasted thrashing to hit back as hosts struggle on second day

(David Ashdown)

Much of the talk before the opening Test of the summer concerned alternative arrangements for Sunday and Monday. For Saturday, today that is, they were merely pencilled in, but they existed nonetheless.

The reasoning for such forward planning was based on assumed English superiority and, not to put too fine a point on it, Bangladeshi ineptitude. On English pitches, the tourists could not and would not delay their downfall for as long as they did at home two months ago when they had the better of some sessions but were still were only prolonging the inevitable.

If all seemed to be going to script after the first day's proceedings, it all equally foundered somewhat yesterday. Bangladesh may well lose the match to maintain their 100 per cent failure rate against England but they did not capsize in the short order expected. Far from it. Social compacts beyond the cricket should certainly be cancelled today, probably for most of tomorrow, with Monday's engagements also at risk.

England were as disappointing with bat and ball – their fielding was largely spot on – as their opponents were inspired. For much of the morning the home side's batting lacked spark and sparkle, and in the afternoon and evening their bowling was bereft of intelligence and therefore penetration. They had decided on choosing six batsmen and four bowlers, they might have been wiser, as so often, to have opted for five and five.

Of course, England made more than enough, since 505 would do in any match but there was little that was bright and breezy about them. They lost more wickets than they ought to have done and though they went along at four an over that was because of some late-order dash.

Nor were there to be any swift inroads into Bangladesh's batting. The tourists came out slugging and England, as two months ago, did not possess much clue of how they might cope with Tamim Iqbal's broadsword. The deficit at the close was 333 but only two wickets had fallen.

Jonathan Trott became the seventh England batsman to make a double hundred at Lord's – the last having been Robert Key, the first Jack Hobbs – but he was not the well-appointed craftsman of the previous day. Perhaps Trott was affected by losing partners and felt the need to adjust. But his timing and pace were both affected. In the context of the match it did not look right.

The four separate fifties of his innings were scored, respectively, from 75 balls, 58, 110 and 75. But it was his lack of authority that gave cause to ponder. However, had it not been for Trott, England would have had little enough to write home about, though some necessary urgency was provided at the end of the innings by Graeme Swann and Jimmy Anderson.

Shahadat Hossain performed in sterling fashion with the second new ball. As guilty as his colleagues of purveying half-volleys on the first day, he was purposeful throughout. It was the fourth time he had garnered five wickets in a Test innings, the first by any Bangladesh bowler against England. He removed a threatening Eoin Morgan early with one going across him and, in 21 balls shortly after lunch, dismissed Tim Bresnan caught at slip by thoughtfully coming round the wicket, Trott who parried to gully and finally Jimmy Anderson who played all round a straight one. Shahadat's joy was unconfined, and why not. This was Lord's, he was on the honours board for ever and might have erased the memory of his Test debut here five years ago when his 12 wicketless overs cost 101 runs, after being slaughtered by Marcus Trescothick.

There was still the chance that England's total would see Bangladesh off into the sunset. On their first visit to Lord's five years ago they had lost the toss, been asked to bat, collapsed and were defeated in three days. But now they looked at England's daunting total and were not cowed.

Tamim, who has been struggling with a chronic wrist injury, damaged it again while diving in the field and was in obvious discomfort. Had he possessed full movement he might really have gone to town. In Dhaka in March he made 86 from 71 balls and his plundering yesterday was scarcely less resourceful. England did not wish to give him much to drive but they were guilty of being too short and Anderson in particular was unsatisfactory. He is the leader of England's attack but he did not lead by example. He is capable of making a cricket ball talk; yesterday, through a lack of steadiness, he bound and gagged it until it was mute.

There are bigger battles ahead for England, much bigger, but this did not augur well for them. Bangladesh rattled along comfortably, happily at four runs an over. Bresnan was disconcerted by Tamim's approach, while Steve Finn, brought on initially at the unfamiliar Nursery End, at least managed some bounce.

Tamim brought another healthy crowd to life. If the way he bats always gives the bowlers a chance, his uncomplicated virtues have an obvious place in Twenty20, let alone Test cricket. Counties are constantly proclaiming the prowess of their world-famous overseas players: few can hit the ball with the force and assurance of Tamim.

He was terminated, after firmly striking 55 from 62 balls, when his dash for a single was aborted by Kevin Pietersen's pick up and throw from point. It had looked the only way England might take a wicket, though Finn gave the lie to that statement by cramping Imrul Kayes for space, so that the batsman could only nudge it to Andrew Strauss at first slip.

But that was the extent of England's success. Matters quietened after that – Bangladesh were reduced to three an over – but Junaid Siddique, who scored a hundred against England at Chittagong in March, composed another fifty which, if not faultless, was always fastidious. Unless England's bowling improves markedly, and quickly, they could be here awhile.

Key moments from the second day

11.09 Eoin Morgan, having emerged demonstrating intent, departs before he can realise it, edging one going across him.

11.14 A steepling, fast bouncer from Shahadat Hossain (right), rattles into Jonathan Trott's gloves but falls short of the bowler.

12.23 Trott pulls a cramped two to reach his double century, the first England player to do so at Lord's since Rob Key in 2004.

1.00 Lunch arrives with England having added 94 in 27 overs in the morning. Trott has less than half of them.

2.10 Jimmy Anderson, embracing the modern game completely, reverse sweeps for four.

2.17 England's innings is brought to an end by Shahadat, who bowls Anderson and becomes the first Bangladeshi to take five wickets in an innings at Lord's. Deserved figures, too.

3.15 Imrul Kayes survives a run-out appeal after a direct hit by Kevin Pietersen. In the opening overs it looks like the only way for England to take a wicket.

3.26 Graeme Swann enters the attack to great expectation, given his record of taking a wicket in his first over. But not this time.

4.17 Pietersen makes another direct hit – and this time it is out as Tamim Iqbal's brave innings ends as he tries needlessly for a sharp single.

5.07 Steve Finn gets his first Test wicket in England by trapping Imrul who can only nudge it to Andrew Strauss.

6.08 Junaid Siddique whips away a four to complete his 50 as England's frustration mounts.

Lord's Scoreboard

Lord's (Second day of five) Bangladesh trail England by 333 runs with eight first-innings wickets remaining

Bangladesh won toss

England First Innings

Overnight: 362-4 (Strauss 83)

J Trott c Kayes b Shahadat: 226

349 balls 20 fours

E Morgan c Rahim b Shahadat: 44

80 balls 2 fours

†M Prior run out: 16

24 balls 2 fours

T Bresnan c Siddique b Shahadat: 25

65 balls 2 fours

G Swann c R Hossain b Al Hasan: 22

13 balls 2 fours 2 sixes

J Anderson b Shahadat: 13

16 balls 3 fours

S Finn not out: 3

5 balls

Extras (lb 10, w 8, nb 13): 31

Total: (125 overs) 505

Fall: 1-7 (Cook), 2-188 (Strauss), 3-227 (Pietersen), 4-258 (Bell), 5-370 (Morgan), 6-400 (Prior), 7-463 (Bresnan), 8-478 (Trott), 9-498 (Swann), 10-505 (Anderson).

Bowling: Shahadat H 28-3-98-5 (w1, nb2) (6-2-17-1, 2-0-11-0, 4-0-18-0, 2-0-9-0, 3-0-11-0, 5-1-10-1, 2-0-9-0, 4-0-13-3), R Islam 22-2-107-0 (nb4) (4-1-19-0, 2-0-12-0, 5-1-28-0, 3-0-21-0, 3-0-17-0, 5-0-10-0), S Al Hasan 27-3-109-2 (5-0-18-0, 1-1-0-0, 6-0-31-0, 3-0-3-1, 4-0-19-0, 8-2-38-1), R Hossain 23-0-109-1 (w7, nb3) (5-0-26-0, 1-0-1-0, 2-0-12-0, 2-0-13-0, 6-0-22-1, 6-0-29-0, 1-0-6-0), M Mahmudullah 23-3-59-1 (1-0-1-0, 22-2-57-1), M Ashraful 2-0-13-0 (1-0-5-0, 1-0-8-0).

Progress Second day 400 in 100.4 overs, 450 in 116.1 overs, Lunch 456-6 in 117.0 overs (I J L Trott 217, T T Bresnan 24), 500 in 123.5 overs. Trott: 200 318 balls 18 fours.

Bangladesh First Innings

T Iqbal run out (Pietersen): 55

62 balls 8 fours

I Kayes c Strauss b Finn: 43

99 balls 6 fours

J Siddique not out: 53

105 balls 8 fours

J Islam not out: 16

53 balls 2 fours

Extras (lb 1, w 3, nb 1): 5

Total (2 wkts, 53 overs): 172

Fall: 1-88 (Iqbal), 2-134 (Kayes).

To bat: Mohammad Ashraful, *Shakib Al Hasan, †Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam, Rubel Hossain.

Bowling: J Anderson 16-2-52-0 (w1) (7-1-24-0, 4-0-12-0, 3-0-12-0, 2-1-4-0), T Bresnan 15-2-65-0 (w2) (5-1-25-0, 6-0-35-0, 4-1-5-0), S Finn 12-4-39-1 (nb1) (4-1-16-0, 8-3-23-1), G Swann 10-6-15-0 (2-1-2-0, 8-5-13-0).

Progress Second day: 50 in 12.0 overs, Tea 67-0 in 18.0 overs (Tamim Iqbal 42, Imrul Kayes 22), 100 in 24.2 overs, 150 in 41.3 overs, Close of Play 172-2 in 53.0 overs. Iqbal: 50 59 balls 7 fours; Siddique: 50 92 balls 8 fours.

Umpires: B F Bowden (NZ) & E A R de Silva (S Lanka)

TV replay umpire : R K Illingworth

Match referee: A G Hurst (Aus)