Test hangs in the balance following an enthralling Day Four in Chittagong with both sides capable of winning.
England and Bangladesh took a thrilling first Test into a final day after an enthralling Day Four in Chittagong with both sides still in a position to win.
Control of the match swung from one side to the other like Newton’s Cradle as the visitors closed requiring two wickets for victory while 33 runs are all that stand in the way of Bangladesh and a maiden Test win over England.
Set 286 by England, what would be Bangladesh’s highest fourth innings chase if successful, the hosts made a rapid start. Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes went after England’s bowlers with glee, who opened with two spinners – Gareth Batty and Moeen Ali - for the first time in eight years.
Kayes made their intent shown straight away, sweeping aggressively to the boundary off both bowlers, and Bangladesh raced to 35, the highest opening partnership of the match, largely untroubled before the first wicket fell. Having seen a review return not out, Ali then had the dangerous batsman Iqbal out caught at short leg by Gary Ballance the very next ball for 9.
There was no let up in the host’s attacking plan, though, as Kayes struck a couple more impressive boundaries. However the introduction of Adil Rashid accounted for the opener in the penultimate over of the opening session. Getting down to sweep, Kayes (43) instead gloved it behind where Root leapt high to take the catch, leaving Bangladesh 86-2 at the break.
Batty struck twice in quick succession after the interval to crack the Bangladesh top-order. Following some delightful bowling by the 39-year-old and Rashid, the Surrey man had Mominul Haque and then Mahmudullah, seven balls later, trapped lbw.
The game was never beyond the hosts, however, who competed well throughout, and came back into contention when Shakib Al Hasan put on 32 with captain Mushfiqur Rahim for the fifth wicket. Ali was thrown the ball to end the partnership and duly delivered, dismissing Shakib, caught behind by Bairstow, for the second time in the Test.
But that brought Sabbir Rahman to the crease who, along with Mushfiqur, reestablished the attacking batting, as he scored an unbeaten 59. The pair made 39 in the 9.1 overs before tea, Sabbir crunching two sixes in the process before shutting up shop after the break. The batsmen then hit a mere 48 runs in the 28.5 overs that followed prior to Mushfiqur going caught at short leg off a pearler from Batty.
Broad picked up his first wicket of the match soon after when he had 18-year-old debutant Mehedi Hasan LBW. That tally was doubled in his next over as Kamrul Rabbi eged one off his pad to Ballance in close.
Bangladesh continued to chip away at the total, Sabbir in particular impressing with the bat, before bad light saw the players go off when the umpires informed Alastair Cook he could only bowl spin.
Earlier, England added 12 runs to their overnight score, with Bangladesh quick to remove the last two wickets. Captain Mushfiqur made the breakthrough, smartly whipping the bails off to run out Broad for 10 when scampering a tight single, 11 balls into the day’s play.
Batty then departed trapped in front to Taijul Islam for 3, when he prodded forward to the first delivery of the new ball and was struck on the pads.