A maiden Test century of astoundingly even temperament by Eoin Morgan allowed England to carve out an enviable position in the first npower Test at Trent Bridge.

When England’s number six entered proceedings at 118 for four, seven overs into the afternoon, there was a palpable opportunity for Pakistan to inflict lasting damage in prime conditions for fast bowling.

But Morgan and a composed but scratchy Paul Collingwood emphatically pulled the rug from under the tourists’ feet in their own contrasting fashions.

Playing just his third Test match, Morgan’s 182-ball innings underlined that the very shots that have established his reputation in one-day cricket should not necessarily be locked away when he pulls on a white shirt.

The Irish left-hander dabbed, reverse-swept and glided away to his heart’s content, dominating Pakistan’s ineffective slow bowlers. When the seamers returned late in the day, Morgan simply leant into anything over-pitched.

England closed the opening day on an emphatic 331 for four, with Morgan 125 not out, and Collingwood unbeaten on 81.

Their partnership, worth 213 by the close, was a fifth-wicket record for England against Pakistan, surpassing the 192 made by Denis Compton and Trevor Bailey here on Pakistan’s first tour to these shores in 1954.

In choosing to bat first under cloudy skies, Andrew Strauss delivered the hotly anticipated contest between a settled batting line-up and Pakistan’s creative fast bowlers.

A compelling morning’s cricket ensued. After a slightly wayward start Mohammad Asif rarely relaxed his unerring line around off-stump.

But it was his junior partner, Mohammad Aamer, who caused the watching public to salivate. Just 18 years old, but demonstrating a complete command of swing, Aamer sent back both openers in an effervescent spell before lunch.

Together, Pakistan’s gifted opening pair ensured that the Decision Review System, returning for the first time this summer, was in almost constant use.

In light of the considerable swing and seam, Strauss and Alastair Cook preferred to play from the crease and wait for the loose delivery.

Strauss was successful to that end, repeatedly clipping Asif calmly off his hips.

He did, however, win an unexpected reprieve in the fifth over. Having moved to 15, the England captain feathered Aamer’s hooping outswinger, only for a wrong-footed wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to drop a relatively straightforward catch.

Cook was overly tentative, and it was little surprise to see his nervy 26-ball innings end when he nicked Aamer to first slip.

England needed their number three to offer support, and Jonathan Trott dug out Aamer’s yorker the very next ball to start an intelligent and resourceful innings.

Amid his medley of full tosses and leg-side deliveries, Danish Kaneria appeared momentarily to have taken Trott’s wicket with the first ball of the 21st over.

But the DRS came to Trott’s rescue. He appealed against umpire Asoka de Silva’s decision to give him out lbw and, on replay, it was clear the batsman had inside-edged onto his pad.

The third-wicket partnership rocketed to 51, until the unrelenting Aamer began his second spell and first from the Radcliffe Road End.

Strauss tried to play one of his familiar glides through square, but edged a rising ball through to Kamran, who held on this time. Strauss’ downfall for 45, on the stroke of lunch, was greeted with a combination of delight and surprise by Pakistan.

In a brief and sketchy knock either side of the interval, Kevin Pietersen’s major achievement was to cause Pakistan to use up both their unsuccessful reviews.

Asif’s first query, to a rejected lbw appeal, looked likely to have clipped the top of leg stump, and the benefit of the doubt was thus given to Pietersen. A shout for caught-behind was also shown to have been bat hitting pad.

It mattered little; Asif had his man when Pietersen played around a ball that held its line and clipped his inside edge on the way to the stumps.

Trott went five balls later, fatally padding up to an Aamer inswinger. This time the review was futile and England were in potential strife.

Yet the pressure dissipated remarkably quickly. Aamer and Asif took a well-earned rest, and Collingwood struck the out-of-sorts Umar Gul for two consecutive back-foot cuts.

On came Kaneria and Shoaib Malik, but they were knocked around with ease. Morgan hit the two spinners for five fours in 11 balls, and, as if to remind the audience that he considers no shots off-limits, picked up Kaneria with his trademark reverse-sweep.

Morgan was fortunate to survive another attempted lap off Malik, which appeared to strike him in front, but was instrumental in guiding England to tea without further loss.

Morgan proceeded beyond 44, his previous best in Tests, and then to a first fifty, from 81 balls, striking the first aerial shot of the day off Kaneria.

As the century partnership loomed, Pakistan started to go to pieces. On a day to forget behind the stumps, even by his own shoddy standards, Kamran missed a golden opportunity to dismiss a charging Collingwood on 48.

Bowler Kaneria, who watched three catches go down in the winter’s Sydney Test, cannot have been all that surprised.

In desperation, the leg-spinner switched to around the wicket, and admittedly had Morgan lbw for 78, only for the batsman to be reprieved on review.

Morgan eased his way into the 90s, helped by alarmingly lacklustre short bowling with the old ball by Asif and Gul.

Any possibility of nerves from this confident 23-year-old proved to be fanciful. Morgan brought up his hundred by standing still and hauling Malik straight into the Radcliffe Road stand.

Morgan’s hundred, only his seventh at first-class level, took in 151 balls.

When Pakistan’s last hope, the second new ball in the hands of the previously unplayable Asif, disappeared repeatedly to the cover boundary, Morgan’s control was total.

Source: ECB

Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar hit 203 and debutant Suresh Raina made 120 as India bettered Sri Lanka’s run-spree in the high-scoring second Test on Thursday.

India, kept on the field for the first two days during Sri Lanka’s massive 642/4 declared, responded by piling up 669/9 by stumps on the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

With just 13 wickets having fallen on the placid wicket in four days, the batsman-dominated Test is heading for a draw with Sri Lanka enjoying a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Tendulkar and Raina, who came together on the third afternoon with India on 241-4 and struggling to avoid their second successive follow-on, put on 256 runs for the fifth wicket.

Tendulkar compiled his fifth double-century, adding another feather to a glorious 168-Test career marked by more runs (13,742) and hundreds (48) than any other batsman in history.

He is also the leading one-day batsman with 17,598 runs and 46 hundreds, including the only double-century in limited-overs internationals.

The 37-year-old braved the stifling hot and humid weather in the Sri Lankan capital for more than eight hours to play a marathon innings studded with 23 boundaries and a six.

Tendulkar reached the 200-mark, his first in six years, with a flick off Ajantha Mendis for two runs, earning warm applause from team-mates and spectators alike.

Left-hander Raina became the ninth Indian to score a century in his first Test innings, before holing out to short mid-wicket off Mendis shortly after lunch.

Raina, just 23 and already a veteran of 98 one-day internationals, was awarded his Test cap only after Yuvraj Singh reported sick on the opening day of the match.

He hit two sixes and 12 boundaries, reaching his century with a fluent off-drive against seamer Dammika Prasad that raced to the fence.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (76) joined in the run feast after Raina’s departure, adding 95 for the sixth wicket with Tendulkar and 51 for the eighth with Abhimanyu Mithun (41).

It was left to part-time spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan to get rid of Tendulkar soon after tea as wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene held a bat-pad catch moving swiftly to the silly point area.

Dilshan also dismissed Harbhajan Singh in the same over and later took a return catch off Dhoni to finish with three wickets.

Sri Lanka missed the wicket-taking abilities of the retired Muttiah Muralitharan and injured fast bowler Lasith Malinga as the young crop of bowlers failed to contain the Indians.

Mendis finished with 4-157 from his 54 overs, while off-spinner Suraj Randiv failed to add to his two wickets on the third day and returned with 2-212 in 64 overs.

Muralitharan and Malinga had claimed 15 of the 20 Indian wickets in the first Test in Galle last week, which Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets.

Source: Times of India

Sachin Tendulkar led India’s attempt to stay alive in the series on an attritional day at the SSC, battling his way, supported by VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina, to a determined century that took India closer to avoiding the follow-on. This, after Sri Lanka’s spinners brought the Test back to life just when it seemed the bat would dominate for the third successive day.

The conditions on Day 3 were still batsman-friendly but the Sri Lankan bowlers varied their pace and lengths with greater skill than their Indian counterparts to create chances. However, India survived a couple of nervy moments that helped turn the third day, if only slightly, in their favour. When on 29, Tendulkar attempted to upper-cut Dilhara Fernando and was dropped by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene. And an appeal against Raina was turned down in the final session when he was struck on the pads by a straighter delivery from Tillakaratne Dilshan; replays suggested the ball would have gone on to hit leg.

Charged, yet again, with the responsibility of reviving the Indian innings, Tendulkar batted with assuredness amid the pressure. The spinners didn’t extract much turn though they did generate good bounce, but Tendulkar adapted well, opting to deal with the length deliveries outside off with caution while treating the ones that were pitched short harshly. He struck Suraj Randiv for eight boundaries through the off side – point, cover and past slip – and comfortably picked off deliveries bowled on his pads for a couple more. The one time he did step out to the spinners was when he brought up his half-century, a clean strike over long-on.

Tendulkar played the ball late on a slowish track, and targeted Randiv while approaching his century, reaching the landmark, his 48th in Tests, with a sweep through square leg. He also ensured a steady flow of singles with Raina, whose strokeplay masked the nerves of a batsman making his first Test appearance.

Raina was uncertain early on against the round-the-wicket line bowled by the two spinners, failing to pick a legspinner from Mendis and leaving a straighter one from Randiv. But, unlike Tendulkar, it was against the length deliveries that he was most comfortable. He stepped out to both spinners to drive them through mid-on, and struck Dammika Prasad for consecutive boundaries. He was equally solid in defence, offering the full face, and eased towards his maiden half-century with a couple of delicious cover drives off the spinners.

Tendulkar began India’s recovery after Virender Sehwag’s swipe on 99 triggered a rush of wickets that undermined a strong start. Facing Randiv’s first delivery of the day, Sehwag stepped out and swung hard towards cow corner, missed and was stumped to become the offspinner’s maiden Test victim.

The wickets that followed were a consequence of some crafty bowling from the spinning pair. Mendis snared opener M Vijay with a googly that he failed to pick after erroneously opting to play the length delivery off the back foot. Rahul Dravid was trapped in front with a ball that skidded on before Laxman joined Tendulkar to rebuild the innings.

Laxman was edgy during his stay and was troubled by Randiv as he played inside the line while expecting more turn. He got the leading edge twice and edged one to slip on the bounce. He appeared far more comfortable against Mendis, capitalising with a couple of boundaries when he was generous enough to stray on the pads. But his concentration wavered and he didn’t read Mendis’ wrong ‘un and was struck in front of leg stump. His wicket at the stroke of tea shifted a see-saw day Sri Lanka’s way, but Tendulkar and Raina, with a bit of fortune, put India’s survival plans back on track.

Siddhartha Talya is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo

Captain Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana struck centuries as Sri Lanka laid the foundation for a mammoth first innings total in the first Test against a lacklustre India here on Sunday.

Sangakkara (103) notched up his 22nd century while Paranavitana (110 batting) scored his maiden ton as the hosts exposed India’s toothless bowling attack to pile up a comfortable 256 for two at close on a rain-truncated opening day.

Electing to bat, the Sri Lankan batsmen capitalised on easy batting conditions at the Galle International Stadium to take control of the match which is star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s swansong Test.

Paranavitana and Mahela Jayawardene (8) were at the crease when play was called off shortly after the tea break because of rain.

It turned out to be a miserable day for the Indians with a depleted bowling attack struggling to make any impact on the Sri Lankan batsmen who scored at a brisk pace. The hosts could have been in a far more comfortable position had bad light and rain not deprived them off 21 overs during the day.

Sangakkara and Paranavitana captalised on a solid start of 91 for one at lunch and the duo treated the hapless Indian bowling attack with disdain by sharing 181 runs for the second wicket in exactly 51 overs to take the game away from the visitors.

India removed Sangakkara early in the final session, holing out to Sachin Tendulkar off part-timer Virender Sehwag at Sri Lankan score of 236 for two but Jayawardene and Paranavitana ensured that they did not lose any more wickets.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (25) was the only Sri Lankan batsman who fell in the morning session to Abhimanyu Mithun, his first Test scalp.

Sangaakkara’s 103 came from 145 balls with the help of 12 fours and it was his fourth century against India. He also went past West Indian Gordon Gneenidge and Englishman Colin Cowdrey to become the 23rd most prolific batsman.

The Indian attack without strike bowler Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth due to injuries, were at the receiving end of a solid Sri Lankan batting display and went wicketless in the whole of the extended second session. They conceded 137 runs in 38 overs bowled in the session.

To compound the matters for India, their most experienced bowler Harbhajan Singh suffered from after effects of a bout of flu and apparently a hamstring problem. He went off the field mid-way into the post-lunch session but returned after about 20 minutes.

Sangakkara and Paranavitana, who were on 25 and 35 at lunch break, played sensible innings as they mixed caution with aggression to deny any success to the Indians.

Sangakkara, the more aggressive of the two, was in fine touch punishing the Indian bowlers whenever they erred in line and length.

The Sri Lankan captain was dropped when on 65 off part-timer Virender Sehwag, who was introduced midway in the second session, with his counterpart and wicket-keeper Dhoni failing to pouch an edge.

Opener Paranavitana was more circumspect initially waiting for bad balls but he opened up after reaching his fifty, fifth in 11 Tests.

India also missed a half chance to remove Paranavitana when on 51 with a forward diving Yuvraj failing to reach the ball after the Sri Lankan opener cut uppishly a Sehwag delivery.

Those couple of chances were all the Indians had as the bowlers lacked penetration and consistency to trouble the Sri Lankans.

Paranavitana went on to score his best Test score in his 11th match, his earlier best being 73 against Pakistan in Colombo last year.

Harbhajan got the drift and a bit of turn in both the sessions but that was not enough to get any wicket while left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was also expensive though he extracted some turn.

Pacer Ishant Sharma gave away just two runs in his first two overs of the second session before conceding 19 in his next two and his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni took him off.

Fielding one of the weakest bowling attacks in a long time, luck also did not favour India as Dhoni lost the toss after the start of the match was delayed for 30 minutes due to wet outfield.

With the depleted Indian bowlers failing to take the advantage of the moisture after heavy overnight rains, the Sri Lankan openers Paranavitana and Dilshan were off to a quick start, sharing 55 runs for the first wicket in 11 overs.

The Sri Lankan duo targeted Ishant, who bled 41 runs in his five overs in the morning, as Paranavitana struck him for a four in the first ball of the innings and then repeated it with another boundary in the opening over.

Ishant was again punished for another couple of fours in his second over by Paranavitana. Dilshan also joined the party with five fours off Ishant in two overs.

Mithun made an impressive start in his debut Test conceding 41 runs from his 12 overs and with the wicket of dangerous Dilshan, his maiden Test scalp.

Source: NDTV Cricket

Marcus North claimed the remarkable figures of 6 for 55 to join Shane Watson on the brand-new neutral honours board at Lord’s, while Steven Smith chipped in with three key scalps in his first innings as a Test bowler, as Pakistan hurtled to defeat by 150 runs on the fourth afternoon of the first Test against Australia.

Set an improbable 440 for victory, Pakistan began their chase boldly through the efforts of Salman Butt, who made a fluent 92 in a 102-run stand for the second wicket with the debutant Azhar Ali, and at 152 for 1 with more than five sessions of the match remaining, there was an outside chance of a miracle taking place. But North’s introduction transformed the contest shortly before lunch.

With his eyes lighting up as North floated his first delivery gently towards his pads, Butt toppled out of his crease to be stumped down the leg-side by Tim Paine, before Umar Akmal jabbed a lifter to slip on the stroke of lunch. With wickets continuing to slip away thereafter, the last vestige of Pakistani hope vanished when the captain Shahid Afridi slapped his fourth delivery down the throat of deep midwicket for 2 – a shot which doubtless contributed to his post-match declaration that next week’s Headingley Test would be his last.

Bowling unchanged from the Nursery End for 18 overs straight, North’s seemingly innocuous offspinners proved too tempting for an impetuous Pakistan line-up, who found a succession of unworthy ways to fling their wickets away. Umar Amin was impressively snaffled by the Man of the Match, Simon Katich at short leg, but in the same over, Afridi’s hoick towards the Grandstand boundary was brainless in the extreme, as Mike Hussey steadied himself well to pouch a skier just inside the rope.

At 229 for 6, there was little hope of Pakistan coming back into the contest, let alone dig in for the draw, although Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Aamer defied their fading expectations in a 54-run stand for the seventh wicket than spanned 19 overs. But when Ricky Ponting freed up the leg-side boundary to tempt Akmal into a mow, the effect was instantaneous. Smith slipped in a quicker ball to peg back his middle stump, as the last four wickets tumbled for six runs in 26 deliveries.

Ponting by now had the new ball at his disposal, but he saw no need to change the pattern of the session, especially with bright sunshine overhead and little prospect of swing. It took five more deliveries for Aamer to pick out Hussey at deep midwicket with a slog-sweep – only moments after the fielder had been waved into position – before Smith claimed a third courtesy of Umar Gul, who wafted a leading edge to Ponting at short cover. One over later, the deed was done, as Danish Kaneria patted a tame drive to Ponting once again, to leave North in possession of the best figures ever by an Australian spinner at Lord’s.

The last rites came in a rush, but Pakistan had made Australia work hard for much of the day’s play. After a confident start to a mountainous run-chase on Thursday evening, they had resumed on 114 for 1, still requiring an improbable 326 to make history and end a run of 12 consecutive defeats at the hands of the Aussies. But the overnight pair of Butt and Azhar showed no signs of anxiety as they racked up 48 runs in the first ten overs of the day under moderately overcast skies that always promised to clear up as the day progressed.

Butt, who resumed on 58 not out, was once again the main source of Pakistani optimism, as he cashed in on a wayward first spell from Mitchell Johnson to slash four fours over the covers in the space of 10 deliveries, before angling the first ball of Watson’s spell through third man for another boundary. Following on from his first-innings 63, the innings briefly carried his Test average against Australia past the 50 mark.

But slowly as first, and then with increasing confidence, Australia made their weight of runs count on a brittle Pakistani line-up. Though Azhar continued the composed performance he had begun the previous evening, he was always on the defensive against Ben Hilfenhaus, against whom he squirted consecutive boundaries through the gully before, on 42, snicking a perfect outswinger to Paine behind the stumps.

Hilfenhaus’s rhythm was disrupted one over later when he dived awkwardly at third man and jarred his left shoulder on the turf, but with the weather now brightening up immeasurably, his job for the day was as good as done. Into the attack came North, and out of his crease toppled Butt, whose quest to become the first centurion in a neutral Test at Lord’s for 98 years ended in an agonising fashion.

It was the opening that Australia needed. Ponting’s persistence with North suited the new man, Umar Akmal, just fine, as he climbed onto the offensive in his typically uninhibited manner, smacking a six and a four back over the bowler’s head in consecutive overs to move to 22 from 30 deliveries. But the lure of easy runs came at a price, as Umar and his middle-order team-mates would soon discover to their cost.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer claimed three wickets apiece to counteract a battling century stand between Simon Katich and Michael Clarke, as Pakistan made themselves feel at home in the truest sense of the word on a riveting first day against Australia at Lord’s. By the time bad light closed in with 10 overs still to be bowled, Michael Hussey was dug in on 39 not out alongside the No. 11 Doug Bollinger, but a dramatic collapse of 7 for 51 had left the Aussies groping for a decent first-innings total on 229 for 9.

After winning the toss following an hour-long delay for rain, Pakistan’s pace attack revelled in the sort of conditions they could never have dreamed of encountering had they been playing this “home” Test in Karachi or Lahore. With Aamer swinging the ball late and at a zippy pace, and Asif nagging away on an impeccable seamer’s length, Australia inched along to 36 for 1 after 13 overs at lunch, which became 51 for 2 soon afterwards, when Ricky Ponting flicked Aamer straight into short leg’s midriff for 26.

Clarke and Katich made arduous but invaluable progress thereafter, adding 120 for the third wicket to carry Australia into the ascendancy on 171 for 2, but when Clarke fell to the final ball of the session, trapped lbw by Asif for 47, Pakistan had received a vital boost at the end of a frustrating passage of play, and they made the most of their incision.

After the break, Asif continued his devastating rhythm from the Pavilion End, nipping the ball down the slope to nick the edge of Katich’s bat and send him on his way for a gutsy 80 from 138 balls, before Marcus North was bowled through the gate for a third-ball duck (174 for 5). The debutants, Tim Paine and Steven Smith were the next to go – Paine had been entrenched for 46 balls for his 7 when he nicked off to Umar Gul, before Smith was unluckily adjudged lbw to Danish Kaneria, despite getting an inside-edge on his topspinner (208 for 7).

Though Hussey found rare fluency with five fours and a slog-swept six over midwicket, Australia’s tail struggled to resist a now pumped-up Pakistan attack. Mitchell Johnson was bamboozled by a beautifully flighted legbreak from Kaneria that bowled him through the gate, while Ben Hilfenhaus had his stumps rattled by Aamer. Though Bollinger hung around gamely to keep Australia going until the close, the damage to their innings had already been done.

Australia’s struggles at the top and tail of the day merely underlined the excellence of the stand between Katich and Clarke. Despite holding the captaincy of Australia’s limited-overs teams, Test cricket is the form of the game that brings out the best in Clarke’s elegant strokeplay, and while Katich bedded in in his familiarly attritional manner, it was his 77-ball 47 that secured them the honours in the afternoon session.

He picked off eight fours in total, including three in an over as Asif’s line and length wavered temporarily, and two in two from Kaneria – a flick through midwicket and a lofted drive over mid-on. Katich picked up his tempo after reaching his 33rd Test half-century, and cashed in on an exploratory spell from Shahid Afridi to close in on a century. But then, on the stroke of tea, Clarke misjudged a nipbacker from Asif that came down the slope to hit the kneeroll, and the floodgates were opened.

It could, however, have been much worse for Australia, and with more dank weather forecast, a 250 total could yet be defendable. The first man to fall was Shane Watson, who opened his account with a firm drive for four when Asif overpitched, but who was sent on his way without addition three overs later, and in a somewhat embarrassing fashion. Facing up to Aamer, he padded up to a full-length swinger that rapped him flush in front of middle, and umpire Ian Gould’s finger was already going up before the ball looped up and into his stumps.

Gould, who is the first English umpire to stand in a Lord’s Test since John Holder in 2001, might well have had reason to raise his finger earlier in the innings as well, when Katich, on 2, survived a vociferous appeal for lbw as Aamer scudded an inswinger into his shin. The replays suggested he was mighty lucky to survive, although Gould himself suggested to the bowler that there had been a hint of inside-edge.

The most notable wicket of the day, however, was that of Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting. His top score in three Ashes Tests at Lord’s is a meagre 42, and there is little guarantee that he will be back again for a fourth visit in 2013. Having survived the worst of the conditions to reach 14 not out from 23 balls at lunch, he notched up his 11594th Test run after the break to move ahead of Brian Lara in second place on the all-time list. But then the debutant Umar Amin reacted superbly under the lid to cling on to a firm clip, to leave Ponting with what could be one last shot at securing a place on the Lord’s honours boards.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo.

England’s fast bowlers seized on hostile conditions in the Old Trafford air to consign Bangladesh to a familiar and depressing innings defeat in the second npower Test.

A young Bangladesh line-up with little method to withstand top-class swing found James Anderson and Steven Finn impossible to handle, disintegrating to 123 all out in 34.1 overs of their second innings.

In taking 5-42 today, Finn, named man of the series, confirmed himself as a rare find with 15 wickets in these two Test matches alone.

There can be little doubting the progress Bangladesh have made in the five years since their last visit here. But the tune of this latest loss, by an innings and 80 runs, should cause serious soul-searching.

Troubles against a swinging new ball can be expected by any touring team, but a continual lack of restraint when only graft should suffice will only result in more harrowing defeats.

There was to be no respite in the tumbling of wickets save the delay caused by rain.

Persistent drizzle ruined the entire morning session, prompting the umpires to call an early lunch. A 12.45pm inspection concluded that play would start half an hour later, with 82 overs left in the day.

When the rain cleared, Andrew Strauss chose to enforce the follow-on with a 203-run lead. It was immediately confirmed as the correct decision, as Anderson and Finn had the new ball looping around corners.

Two balls in, Bangladesh had to contemplate a rare failure for their inspirational opener Tamim Iqbal. Anderson’s ball reared at his crooked bat, which feathered an edge through to Matt Prior.

Tamim’s dismissal for two was only his second score below 52 in eight Test innings against England.

Imrul Kayes, a successful junior opening partner in this series, never gave any indication of sticking around this time.

Having survived an early nick which stayed too low for Matt Prior to gather, Kayes’ weakness against the short ball was underlined.

The little left-hander hoicked unconvincingly for a fine-leg four, but Finn reprised his bouncer of the first innings, and Kayes, too late on the shot, flopped the ball to backward square-leg where Shahzad took a good catch.

Junaid Siddique guided lamely to third slip, before Jahurul Islam could only top-edge Finn’s rising ball to Prior.

As has become custom, Mohammad Ashraful played a couple of sweet front-foot shots before gloving Anderson routinely to slip for 14. It was the third wicket of Anderson’s fiery and pointed 10-over opening spell from the Stretford End.

Shakib Al Hasan was next out, beaten through the gate by a Shahzad ball that nipped back into him.

Bangladesh’s entire top six had folded in just over an hour. Taking into account the 10 first-innings wickets that fell yesterday evening, 16 had gone down in the space of 43.4 overs.

England finally encountered some belated resistance from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, in the only meaningful partnership of 37.

Mushfiqur in particular showed real bravery up against fearsome pace from Shahzad. Touching 90mph, Shahzad rapped the tiny number seven on the gloves, then watched as Mushfiqur slapped him over the slips.

Finn was reintroduced to bring about Mushfiqur’s demise after 42 balls, mis-timing a leg-stump half-volley to substitute fielder Karl Brown at midwicket.

Mahmudullah employed less orthodox methods, dangerously backing away to cut Graeme Swann off his stumps.

Unafraid to take the attack to Finn when he erred short, Mahmudullah slapped two short balls for four to move to 38.

But in a depressingly predictable demise, he fell prey to the same shot, top-edging Finn behind to the last ball of his over, where Prior held on to a sprawling high catch.

Abdur Razzak at least took Bangladesh’s total beyond their previous low against England, 104 at Chester-le-Street, by striking Swann for three lusty blows.

But the prospect of anything more substantial evaporated when Shafiul Islam edged Finn to Strauss at second slip for his fifth wicket of the innings.

Strauss was not sure that he had his fingers fully under the ball, but after consultation from the TV umpire, Billy Bowden correctly ruled Shafiul out.

Razzak, attempting another big hit, skied Swann to mid-on where Eoin Morgan held the steepler that won the match.

Extended it may have been, but the fact remains that Bangladesh were bowled out within a session for the second time in this match.

Source: ECB

A rejuvenated England tore through Bangladesh on the second evening at Old Trafford, after ridding themselves of the mischievous figure of Tamim Iqbal.

England’s bowlers were thrown off their lines and lengths in a second successive century by the undaunted and powerful opener, but Tamim’s pluckier colleagues found the going much harder, collapsing to 216 all out to usher in the close.

Such was Bangladesh’s subsidence from 126 without loss, that they do not even know their immediate fate.

Trailing England’s 419 by 203 runs, Andrew Strauss could conceivably enforce the follow-on, with rain forecast over the three remaining days in Manchester. One thing is for sure – Bangladesh must now have given up all hope of winning this second npower Test.

After an anodyne opening by his high standards, Graeme Swann lured the Bangladesh batsmen into ill-advised shots to claim 5-76, while Ajmal Shahzad returned to take three wickets in a searing spell to remember on Test debut.

Such success seemed distant when England, who had already lost their last five wickets for 43 runs, then proceeded to waste the new ball.

After a relatively sedate start, Tamim took 13 from James Anderson’s fourth over, and his fierce cut off Steven Finn resonated with the sound of a gunshot.

Swann’s introduction barely concerned Tamim. Racing to 50 in 43 balls, Tamim took two steps down and hauled the off-spinner into the crowd behind midwicket.

Tamim had his first flutter when Shahzad’s inswinging yorker sent him tumbling like an amateur on an ice rink, but the ball somehow evaded man and stumps and Tamim survived to battle on.

Imrul Kayes looked less certain, but managed to stick around for 36 as Tamim led the charge to 126, their third meaningful opening stand in a row.

It came to an abrupt end in the 24th over when Finn, restored to the attack, induced Kayes to top-edge a hook which Shahzad held comfortably at fine-leg.

Junaid Siddique was unable to transfer his form from Lord’s, and surrounded with close fielders, he lingered on one before Swann brushed the top of his bat and had him caught behind sharply by Matt Prior.

Tamim too felt the force of England’s new confidence, but survived an edge to dab behind square for his century. In an astonishing sequence for the 21-year-old, he now has three hundreds and six fifties from his last 12 Test innings.

Tamim’s exit for 108, nicking behind an attemped cut off Anderson, was met with mixed feelings by the 11,200 in attendance.

The stage was set for Swann on a pitch he must dream about. He beat Jahurul Islam with a ripper through the gate, and lured Shakib Al Hasan into an unwise drive which he nicked to slip.

Mohammad Ashraful survived the best part of an hour before he flashed Shahzad hard to backward point for his maiden Test wicket.

Working up a pace from the Brian Statham End, Shahzad then cleaned up Mahmudullah and Shafiul Islam with a possible hint of reverse-swing. Either way, three wickets in 19 balls demonstrated that England have yet another fast-bowling option for an arduous year.

Swann completed the rout by having Shahadat Hossain lbw. With just two overs left in the day, the jubilant players headed in to await Strauss’ decision, which may not come until tomorrow.

England resumed on 272 for five, and the sixth-wicket pair were scarcely worried as they massaged their partnership to 153 on a muggy morning.

Their serenity allowed Ian Bell to complete his deserved hundred, taking 22 balls to move from his overnight 87 to his third century against Bangladesh.

He advanced to play two sumptuous shots through extra cover off Shakib’s second over, prompting the chastened captain to take the new ball immediately afterwards.

Prior had a let-off, again failing to roll his hands on a hook off Shafiul. Prior watched his top-edge fall fractionally short of deep square-leg’s hands, running round.

Fortunately for a player in search of a big score, Prior showed due diligence as Bangladesh tried to bounce him out. A back-foot cut for four off Abdur Razzak sealed a welcome half-century for Prior in 106 balls.

With that minor landmark passed, England’s wicketkeeper looked liberated, switch-hitting Shakib and using his feet to drive for a straight four.

It took a freak occurrence and a dream dismissal for a left-arm spinner, to break the impasse. From around the wicket, Shakib’s delivery pitched on leg stump, turned past Bell’s outside edge and clipped off. His 128 came from 255 balls.

Swann added a quick 20 before playing back to Razzak and going lbw, a dismissal that ushered in lunch.

Within 13 balls, England’s innings was over. First Shahzad leant into a flighted Shakib delivery and picked out extra cover.

That left Prior on 93 but with little batting left at the other end. He tried to be inventive in his choice of runs but could only pick out point’s hands with a reverse-sweep.

Finn lasted two deliveries, the final wicket and just reward for Shakib’s patient and thoughtful bowling. The Bangladesh captain finished with 5-121 in 37.3 overs, the seventh time in 21 Tests he has taken a five-for.

The Bangladesh flag flew at half-mast at Old Trafford in respect of those who lost their lives in the housing estate fire in Dhaka.

Source: ECB

Ian Bell succeeded in repelling Bangladesh’s trial by spin, as he set about making sure England did not waste first use of a competitive Old Trafford pitch in the second npower Test.

Bell took his Test average against this opposition further into the stratosphere in moving to 87 not out in England’s 275 for five from 83 overs, when bad light ended play at 5.30pm local time.

That represented a considerable improvement on 83 for three just before lunch, taken during glorious sunshine which warmed the first two sessions.

Tentative strokeplay had proved England’s downfall after winning the toss, forcing them to battle hard against a Tigers side who took the field wearing black armbands, following the fire disaster which has killed more than 100 people in Dhaka.

It was a task that Kevin Pietersen was able to fulfil, in his own quixotic style, until a thrilling assault ended with him charging Shakib Al Hasan.

Fortunately for England, Bell showed no signs of hot-headedness, and played in his own unhurried manner alongside Eoin Morgan as they contributed the second 70-run partnership of the innings.

The tourists’ cause looks set to be compromised by a concerning injury to Shafiul Islam, the skiddy seamer whose impressive nine-over opening spell yielded two early wickets.

One of only two seamers in an attack with three spinners, it is hard to see Bangladesh winning with only a single fast bowler in operation.

Nonetheless, they bowled and fielded tidily, and began to bring England’s scoring into check with a tight ring.

It hardly helped that Shahadat Hossain was milked for boundaries by Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook took their opening stand to 44.

The England captain was out unexpectedly, and somewhat tamely, when he pushed at Shafiul on 21 and edged to slip.

Gaining inward movement with a whippy action, Shafiul followed up by spearing one through Jonathan Trott’s defences.

Bangladesh’s dismissal of a man who plundered 226 at Lord’s was met with jubilant celebration.

Cook, meanwhile, appeared to have done the hard work in getting to 29 after 24 overs, but he too prodded forward and edged Abdur Razzak’s first ball of the series to Junaid Siddique at slip.

Pietersen was still keen to set the agenda. He tried to throw Shakib off his stride, playing one glorious on-drive for four past his vanquisher in the first Test.

He and Bell, whose late cutting was beautiful, looked untroubled in carrying England into the ascendancy in the hour after lunch.

Then, as he approached fifty, Pietersen went up a gear; picking off Shafiul before launching Razzak for a midwicket six. He emphasised his astonishing reach in easing Shakib through extra cover for a divine four.

Closer observers preferred to take notice of the last ball of the 38th over from Shakib that spat almost square off the turf.

Significant turn was again in evidence when Shakib lured Pietersen down with a shorter ball, but the batsman was so far from the pitch that he would likely have still missed by a distance had it gone straight.

Mushfiqur Rahim completed one of the simplest stumpings of his short career, prompting primal roars from both wicketkeeper and bowler.

If Bangladesh hoped to eat into a green middle-order, they were mistaken. Morgan survived a nick through slips and a close leave which almost saw Shahadat take out his off stump, to play assuredly against the spinners.

Bell was quick on his feet throughout, and his half-century arrived in 97 balls when he guided Razzak behind square three overs before tea. Despite the loss of Pietersen, 123 runs came in the session.

Morgan made barely an error in making 37, but was stopped in his tracks when he cut a rising ball from Shahadat in the air behind point where Jahurul Islam, leaping to his right, took a blinding one-handed catch.

Matt Prior, who was 21 not out in an unbroken alliance of 52 with Bell, twice survived against Razzak; first only due to soft hands when he nudged just short of slip an hour into the evening and soon after more fortuitously when he split keeper and slip.

That second piece of fortune heralded the 250 and England moved along comfortably thereafter as Bangladesh delayed taking the second new ball.

Source: ECB

England married incisiveness with the ball and ruthless efficiency with the bat as they finally saw off the challenge of Bangladesh in the opening npower Test.

Victory, by the margin of eight wickets, was wrapped up in the last over before tea on the final day, Andrew Strauss having spearheaded their rapid pursuit of 160 to win.

The captain made a fluent 82 off 88 balls and Jonathan Trott an unbeaten 36 as a modest target was overhauled in just 35 overs, giving England a triumphant start to the international summer in front of 9,200 spectators enticed to Lord’s by £10 tickets.

It was fitting that Trott hit the winning runs – a four through square-leg – for his double century in the first innings did so much to shape this intriguing contest.

As well as he batted, though, Steven Finn’s was the name on most people’s lips today – and quite possibly for some time to come.

Playing only his third Test and his first on home soil, Finn underlined his status as England’s most potent bowler in this contest by claiming 5-87, a haul which included three key wickets in successive overs this morning and gave him nine in the match.

He helped bowl Bangladesh out for 382 just before lunch, ending their hopes of salvaging a draw, hopes that were still alive – albeit faint – when they resumed on 328 for five this morning.

As it is, Bangladesh head to Old Trafford for the second and final game of the series on Thursday on the back of a 58th defeat in 67 Tests.

Yet the scale of their loss should not detract from a spirited performance which must rank amongst their finest on foreign soil. It augurs well for their health as a Test nation.

Finn’s feats were the most heartwarming for England, usurping Trott’s not only because Bangladesh’s batsmen are a significantly tougher proposition than their bowlers, but also because the pitch offered the seamers minimal assistance for much of the five days. What’s more, he is only 21.

His match haul of 9-187 and the man-of-the-match award was deserved reward for a display of great maturity, providing further evidence to a growing band of observers who expect him to be a central figure in England’s attack for years to come.

Just as he did yesterday when he ended an opening stand of 185 between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, Finn made the breakthrough today following a fruitless first 40 minutes.

The bowlers would have been encouraged by the cloud cover first thing, but there was hardly lavish swing with a ball that was just five overs old at the start of play.

Finn extracted what little life there was from a largely reliable surface in the form of occasional extra bounce.

Ironically, it was one of his less threatening deliveries which yielded the breakthrough, Shakib Al Hasan finally getting some bat on one of a number of wafts outside off stump as he cut a long hop low to Eoin Morgan at backward point.

Junaid Siddique’s dismissal, though, was the most important. The left-hander continued in much the same obdurate fashion that frustrated England yesterday, mixing dead-batted defence with the occasional streaky edge before indecision cost him for the second time in the match.

Having failed to withdraw his bat in time to a Finn lifter in the first innings – when he made 58 – he checked a drive off a delivery of fuller length and provided Tim Bresnan with a straightforward catch at cover. He had added eight to his overnight 66, and departed having faced 162 balls.

Mushfiqur Rahim fell after drinks to remove any remaining doubts over the outcome, edging behind as he played back to a Finn leg-cutter.

Bresnan claimed two wickets in as many overs to mop up a Bangladesh innings that has nevertheless showcased their continuing development as a side.

Rubel Hossain was caught at first slip by Strauss attempting to leave a well-directed outswinger, before Mahmudullah – dropped on 14 by Bresnan at third slip off James Anderson – edged to wicketkeeper Matt Prior aiming an ugly cross-batted swipe.

England’s pursuit was serene, to say the least, Strauss making light of the loss of Alastair Cook for 23 – lbw to Mahmudullah despite a lengthy stride forward – to race to a run-a-ball half-century.

Trott batted with the ease which marked his first-innings 226, accompanying his skipper in a second-wicket stand worth 80.

Strauss smashed Mahmudullah over mid-on before Trott laced him through cover, but for the large part they had to do little more than milk ones and twos against a bowling attack that had long since faced up to the inevitable.

The dismissal of Strauss – caught behind making room to cut Shakib with 13 needed for victory – was immaterial, and the umpires showed the good sense not to call tea to allow England to complete victory.

Source: ECB