Over-by-over updates from day four in Chittagong
Scorecard: all the latest as Bangladesh close in on England’s total
Tweet @TimdeLisle | Email tim.delisle.casual@theguardian.com
10.42am BST
59th over: Bangladesh 194-5 (Mushfiqur 24, Sabbir 31) target 286 Another maiden from Woakes. The draw is now 4000/1 at the bookies’, and Cook is operating like a man who has a fiver on it.
“Re 49th over,” retorts Smylers, “do you really think millennials subscribe to anything so paper-based as the Radio Times?” Ah, good point. “I’m somebody who at 19:00 is often unavailable for watching live telly, cricket-based or otherwise, cos we’re still frantically trying to get the children into bed.”
10.37am BST
58th over: Bangladesh 194-5 (Mushfiqur 24, Sabbir 31) target 286 Stokes finally comes off, and spin returns – but it’s Rashid, not Batty, who must have offended Cook in a former life. The field is set to allow the single; the batsmen help themselves from the buffet. Rashid does get one to turn and bounce past Sabbir’s attempted sweep, but it’s too wide to count.
10.34am BST
57th over: Bangladesh 192-5 (Mushfiqur 23, Sabbir 30) target 286 Woakes continues, trying a few things – a yorker, an off-cutter that is also a slower ball – but all he gets is half an inside edge, and Mushfiqur survives. On Sky, Rob Key, who’s been a sparky addition to the team, sums up the pitch: “It’s played so much better than it looked.”
10.28am BST
56th over: Bangladesh 191-5 (Mushfiqur 23, Sabbir 29) target 286 The trouble with deadlocks is that this Bangladesh side know how to break them. Even if they need six leg byes to do it. The target is below 100 now, and the partnership above 50. Cook has to do something other than bowl his seamers to defensive fields.
10.21am BST
55th over: Bangladesh 183-5 (Mushfiqur 23, Sabbir 28) target 286 Only four off three overs since tea. After those big hits against the spinners, Cook is trying to smother Bangladesh with maidens, like a tired parent refusing to react to a revved-up kid.
“Morning Tim,” says Andrew Howard. “If Bangladesh do win, and I’d be happy for them and the sport if it happens, we do need to think about the Aussie response to England becoming the first of the current leading nations to lose a Test v Ban. However, based on their abject performance in SL, would we give Aus any chance right now away in Bangladesh? I’d make Ban the favourites!” Interesting mixture of attack and defence there: a pre-emptive gloat.
10.15am BST
53rd over: Bangladesh 182-5 (Mushfiqur 22, Sabbir 28) target 286 Sabbir, who is making his Test debut, looks like a quick learner. He survives a half-appeal for lbw against Woakes (going down), and then plays the shot he should have played – an easy clip for two. But England are still favourites, because the tail is long and these two probably need to add 70 of the remaining 100-odd.
10.10am BST
52nd over: Bangladesh 180-5 (Mushfiqur 22, Sabbir 26) target 286 Yet ANOTHER bowling change, as Cook takes Rashid off after a single over and turns to... Stokes! Who has only just had a spell, and not been at his best. It must be a cunning plan to get Batty so riled that when he finally comes on, he fires England to victory.
10.05am BST
51st over: Bangladesh 179-5 (Mushfiqur 22, Sabbir 25) target 286 Cook summons Chris Woakes, so that’s four bowlers in four overs and still Batty can’t get a look-in. Woakes produces a maiden but no threat.
“So hard to call it from here!” says Dean Kinsella. “Gripping Test match. I hope it goes to nine wickets down before the final denouement – either way. Even as an England fan, a part of me will be delighted for Bangladesh should they taste their first win over us.”
9.43am BST
50th over: Bangladesh 179-5 (Mushfiqur 22, Sabbir 25) target 286 Adil Rashid replaces Moeen, and almost strikes, drawing Sabbir’s edge with a grubbing leg-break, but it keeps so low that it bounces off Bairstow’s ankle. That’s tea, and the pot of gold is beckoning to Bangladesh. They need 107 now, and at the rate they are going, they will get there tonight if they get there at all.
9.37am BST
49th over: Bangladesh 176-5 (Mushfiqur 20, Sabbir 24) target 286 Broad again, and no alarms for the batsmen. Come on Cook, bring back Batty – situations like this are crying out for someone to take charge, and he is used to doing that, both as a bowler and as a captain.
“Thank you to John Starbuck (21st over) for raising awareness of the ITV4 highlights,” says Smylers. “It’s a shame that ITV couldn’t have arranged these sooner: the current Radio Times lists a programme called Pawn Stars in the slot the cricket is now scheduled, and even has a Q&A on the letters page saying ‘terrestrial highlights of away tours seem to be a dead duck’. The ITV4 highlights don’t seem to be on ITV Hub, and I’m not sure I’m organised enough to be the kind of person who watches TV at the time it’s actually broadcast.” Are you, by any chance, a millennial?
9.33am BST
48th over: Bangladesh 175-5 (Mushfiqur 19, Sabbir 24) target 286 Great stuff from Sabbir, who clonks Moeen for six over mid-off, then waits for him to drop short and shovels him round the corner for four more. Cook takes fright and sends leg slip back to short fine leg. Twelve from the over: a change in the weather.
9.30am BST
47th over: Bangladesh 163-5 (Mushfiqur 18, Sabbir 13) target 286 Intoxicated by his own strokeplay, Sabbir charges down the track at the other end too, having failed to notice that he is facing Stuart Broad. He gets away with it, missing the ball, then almost getting run out by a shy from Jonny Barstow, who is having about the best match you could possibly have while not being favourite for man of the match.
9.24am BST
46th over: Bangladesh 160-5 (Mushfiqur 18, Sabbir 10) target 286 So Moeen was only changing ends. That’s fine by Sabbir, who trots down the track and helps himself to a six, his first in Tests. He has got his eye in now.
“Morning Tim,” says Alex Fergusson. “You can tell Robert Darby (36th over) to come on over to Juba. There’s no light breeze, but he can bring his (presumably) Java House coffee and there are fewer, albeit malarial, mosquitoes here. As I write this, we’ve just got Shakib O’Neal who was just making me a touch concerned.”
9.20am BST
45th over: Bangladesh 152-5 (Mushfiqur 17, Sabbir 3) target 286 Well, we have a change of bowling, but it’s not Batty for Stokes, it’s Broad for Moeen. Is Alistair Cook becoming creative in hs old age? Broad, bowling only his second over of this innings, nearly nabs Sabbir, inside-edging a length ball, then driving airily at an outswinger.
9.14am BST
45th over: Bangladesh 150-5 (Mushfiqur 17, Sabbir 1) target 286 My message about a change of bowling mysteriously fails to reach Cook. Stokes continues to get 10/10 for effort, but Mushfiqur continues to keep him out and even picks up four with a semi-retracted push through the slips, to bring up a spirited 150.
9.11am BST
44th over: Bangladesh 146-5 (Mushfiqur 13, Sabbir 1) target 286 Mushfiqur looks at the scale of the task and is he daunted? He is not. He lofts Moeen for four over mid-on, forcing the aged Batty to throw himself into the squishy Toblerone on the boundary. Even if they crumble now, Bangladesh have shown great attitude.
9.07am BST
43rd over: Bangladesh 140-5 (Mushfiqur 8, Sabbir 0) target 286 Stokes bends his back, bowls some short stuff, then slips in the full one, but Mushfiqur sees it coming. A maiden, but not a threatening one. Time to get Stokes off and Batty back on.
9.04am BST
42nd over: Bangladesh 140-5 (Mushfiqur 8, Sabbir 0) target 286 That’s a big, big wicket. Shakib did nothing wrong, getting studiously forward – it was just a lovely ball from Moeen, a crisp catch by Bairstow, and an excellent move by Cook to bring Mo back.
9.00am BST
A beauty from Moeen, turning and taking the edge from round the wicket, and now England are right on top.
8.56am BST
40th over: Bangladesh 138-4 (Shakib 23, Mushfiqur 7) target 286 Stokes again, anodyne again by his high standards. The batsmen take a single and a bye, and Cook turns to Moeen.
8.52am BST
39th over: Bangladesh 136-4 (Shakib 23, Mushfiqur 6) target 286 Shakib plays Rashid confidently, swatting him into the off side. The game needs a fifty partnership here, and these two are half way there.
8.47am BST
38th over: Bangladesh 130-4 (Shakib 19, Mushfiqur 4) target 286 Ben Stokes, the man of the match so far, continues in his role as England’s specialist reverser. He gets some swing but it’s gentle, not jagged, and Mushfiqur has no trouble defending.
8.43am BST
Morning everyone, and big thanks to Dan for taking the early shift. When I emailed him at lunchtime, he was just making his seventh cup of tea, to go with two coffees: the cricket writer’s version of the 7-2 field.
Dan’s stint brought six wickets and let’s hope mine does the same, as long as the cricket gods give Bangladesh some runs too. This has been such a good contest – tight, gripping, not just turning but twisting – and it has a chance of going right to the wire.
8.40am BST
37th over: Bangladesh 130-4 (Shakib 19, Mushfiqur 4) target 286 Shakib gets a couple when Rashid drifts one too floaty and wide of off and the batsman plunders them through cover. Rashid looks a bit tired out there and I reckon it might be an idea to get Moeen back on with the left-hander there. Indeed the left hander looks confident: he waits for the fuller ball, in the slot, and clambers into it, sending it sailing over the long-on rope and into the crowd for the first six of the innings.
That’s drinks and that’s the end of me for this Test. Tim de Lisle will take you through to the close today, when England might or might not win this.
8.36am BST
36th over: Bangladesh 122-4 (Shakib 11, Mushfiqur 4) target 286 Here is Ben Stokes and the ball is reversing from the very first delivery. He pushes his third delivery a bit fuller and the Bangladesh captain can’t resist the drive; he’s fine though as the edge flies low through vacant third slip and down to third man for a single. That was encouraging for Stokes though.
“Good morning Dan from Nairobi,” writes Robert Darby. The sun is shining, there is a light breeze and England are beating Bangladesh. I have just had a cup of Kenyan coffee, probably the best in the world, so all is hunky-dory. The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, is that we are suffering from more mosquitoes than I can remember. Fortunately at our altitude they don’t carry malaria. The buggers can still give a nasty bite, though.”
8.31am BST
35th over: Bangladesh 120-4 (Shakib 10, Mushfiqur 3) target 286 The quicker balls from Rashid are causing real damage now: a 90kph dart explodes out the surface on its way through to Shakib. Unperturbed, the batsman drives the final ball with a dismissive and elegant swish of the bat, back past the bowler for four. And here comes a bowling change...
8.28am BST
34th over: Bangladesh 115-4 (Shakib 6, Mushfiqur 2) target 286 Batty’s first spell was none for 25 from seven overs; this one is now two for 17 from six. Stokes is warming up, which suggests England think this ball might start to reverse soon.
8.25am BST
33rd over: Bangladesh 114-4 (Shakib 6, Mushfiqur 1) target 286 Short from Rashid and Mushfiqur gets off the mark by mullering a pull out to deep midwicket for one. Short leg had to duck under that or he was in danger. Shakib also cashes in on a short one, cutting it hard through cover points for a couple.
“Morning Dan.” Morning, Phil Withall. “Here I was composing a little missive about the chances of England winning being less than those predicted when, with the falling of the third wicket, I realised I have a problem.
8.21am BST
32nd over: Bangladesh 111-4 (Shakib 4, Mushfiqur 0) target 286 Shakib Al-Hasan is just looking to survive in this Test match against Gareth “The Destroyer” Batty, who is finding lovely turn and irregular bounce out there.
I’m on some pretty strong painkillers so I’m now convinced that I’m hallucinating. Because there’s no way the above is happening in 2016.
8.18am BST
31st over: Bangladesh 111-4 (Shakib 4, Mushfiqur 0) target 286 After that eventful over, this from Rashid is largely event-free. “Six down!” shouts Joe Root, bless him.
Sean Clayton writes: “Regarding Batty’s [alleged] political allegiances (lunchtime), they say there’s no Tory like a Yorkshire Tory. He wouldn’t be alone - William Hague, Eric Pickles, Jimmy Savile... and Michael Vaughan advocated voting Conservative in the 2015 General Election.”
8.16am BST
30th over: Bangladesh 108-4 (Shakib 1, Mushfiqur 0) target 286 “Gon- ooh?” is the cry from, erm, me alone in the office when Batty turns one past Shakib’s outside edge and I’m convinced I heard a noise. Given the reaction on the field though, I might well be imagining things. Having got here at 3.30am. England do think they have a wicket when the ball loops up to leg slip but it was clearly off the pad and Batty quickly loses interest in the appeal but his mild disappointment lasts but a single ball. Bangladesh are crumbling now.
8.15am BST
A spike on Ultra Edge draws cheers from the crowd, but the daylight between bat and ball makes it pretty clear that was bat on ground. Hawkeye does him no favours at all.
8.13am BST
Full from Batty, hit right in front of middle, low on the pad and given out. Mahmadullah reviews immediately.
8.09am BST
29th over: Bangladesh 106-3 (Shakib 0, Mahmadullah 16) target 286 Bangladesh have promoted Shakib above Mushfiqur Rahim. I assume that’s to keep the left-right-hand combination at the crease and keep England’s fielders on the move. Mahmadullah gets two with a cute little deliberate outside edge down to third man.
8.06am BST
28th over: Bangladesh 103-3 (Shakib 0, Mahmadullah 13) target 286 Ooh that’s a very, very good review by Gareth Batty. Well played, you apparent Yorkie Tory you.
“Morning Dan.” Morning, if it’s still that, Phil Sawyer. “Up early to watch Cal Crutchlow win the Aussie MotoGP. Anyway, England comfortable favourites? Stokes and YJB have already shown how a good partnership can swing this match. Anyway, I’m also one that wouldn’t be too gutted about a Bangladesh victory and think it would be A Good Thing For Cricket.”
8.04am BST
There’s a massive spike on Ultra Edge but that’s bat on ground. They’re looking at it for ages but it’s pretty clear to me that he’s got nothing on it. However that’s bad news for the batsman because he is absolutely dead to rights lbw!
8.02am BST
England think they’ve got Mominul, caught sweeping at second-slip. It might have been a top-edge, a glove or a bat-boot catch. Or it might have been lbw. It was given not out in either case.
7.59am BST
27th over: Bangladesh 103-2 (Mominul 27, Mahmadullah 13) target 286 Mahmadullah’s eyes light up at the sight of a rank long-hop but, such is the nature of this pitch and such is the nature of Rashid’s bowling that the massive turn from straight to off means the Yorkshireman gets away with it. Somehow that’s a maiden.
This match fast becoming about how soon England can get the ball reversing. Need spinners to pilfer 2-3 more before then...
7.57am BST
26th over: Bangladesh 103-2 (Mominul 27, Mahmadullah 13) target 286 I reckon Batty just needs to slow it down a touch here – he’s just forcing it a bit much. Mahmadullah gets three with a gloved sweep that is mere millimetres from Jonny Bairstow’s gloves down the leg side. The final ball is a full toss and Mominul gives it what it deserves: a thumping hit through midwicket for four. I’m a big fan of the little guy, who took his team past 100 with that.
7.52am BST
25th over: Bangladesh 94-2 (Mominul 22, Mahmadullah 9) target 286 This is what England wanted: Rashid to the right-hander with a couple of slips lurking behind him. There’s a short-leg too, waiting for the googly, but none of the three matter when Rashid is bowling like this: two too full and dug out, the third short and punched away through cover for two.
#WinViz at the start of the afternoon session. #BanvEng pic.twitter.com/mNRkihwsn5
7.49am BST
24th over: Bangladesh 91-2 (Mominul 22, Mahmadullah 6) target 286 From the other end it’s a return for Batty, whose radar wasn’t brilliant in his first spell. His field for the right-hander Mahmadullah is a mirror image of Rashid’s in the previous over and he looks testing, but it’s a different story when Mominul is on strike: short, wide and cut hard through cover point for three.
7.44am BST
23rd over: Bangladesh 86-2 (Mominul 19, Mahmadullah 4) target 286 So another 200 needed for Bangladesh but I’d say the wicket of Imrul Kayes makes England fairly comfortable favourites. Rashid continues after lunch with a slip, short-leg and leg-slip around Mominul’s bat. I like that field.
7.40am BST
The players are back out. This is good, isn’t it?
7.34am BST
“Dear Dan,” begins Justin Horton. “Re: whether Vettori was a nightwatchman at Chittagong, the answer appears to be ‘yes, according to him’.
7.21am BST
Of course it’s 7am on Sunday morning so nowhere is open. If any of my Guardian colleagues are reading, do you know when the canteen opens here?
7.02am BST
22nd over: Bangladesh 86-2 (Mominul 19, Mahmadullah 4) target 286 Cook has had enough of Broad and brings Moeen back after an absence of just two overs. “Go in three down lads” chirps JB behind the stumps. Mahmadullah comes down the track and tries a heave into the on-side, which ends up being a thick inside edge through midwicket for two. He is living a charmed life out there: another top-edged sweep and it only just drifts over Woakes’s head at backward-square.
“This is all my fault,” wails Ivor Leonard. “I’ve only been following this Test in a haphazard kind of way until now. An hour or so ago I sat down to watch diligently and it’s been one way traffic. Don’t worry I’m going to have to switch off in 5mins or so though.”
6.58am BST
21st over: Bangladesh 82-2 (Mominul 18, Mahmadullah 1) target 286 With five minutes to go until lunch Rashid strikes. It felt like he was brought on as a partnership breaker and if so that’s worked beautifully as Imrul was looking in very nice touch. I said below it was a top edge but in fact it bounced up off the back of that bat as it twisted in his hand. Mahmadullah gets under way with a nudge to midwicket for one, thus forcing me to get rid of the bit I’d written about this being a wicket-maiden.
“Good morning, Dan,” begins John Starbuck. “Still pre-dawn here, but the cat Beaumont has been fed, and the hedgehog too, so time enough to join the OBO before my own breakfast. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate (being a non-Sky viewer) the ITV4 highlights programmes. They are very unfussy, provide sufficient written information on-screen, and the commentators Smith and Hoggard are just right. You can have too much of Michael Vaughan at times.”
6.54am BST
Huge wicket! It’s a case of live by the sweep, die by the sweep for Imrul, who gets a top edge and Root runs round to take the looping ball behind the keeper.
6.52am BST
20th over: Bangladesh 81-1 (Mominul 18, Imrul 43) target 286 Ah, hello Stuart. Nice of you to join us. Mominul gets a single with a tuck off his pads and Broad fails to adjust his line accordingly to Imrul, giving up four leg-byes as a consequence. Imrul likes the look of this actually, and he lifts a lovely clip off his leg over square-leg and away for four more.
6.47am BST
19th over: Bangladesh 71-1 (Mominul 17, Imrul 38) target 286 The experiment with seam didn’t last long; Adil Rashid is on for his first bowl of the day and Imrul immediately sweeps him past short leg for a single. Two balls later though it almost lands him in trouble as a big top edge lands just beyond the man at deep midwicket. He’s then hit on the pad reverse-sweeping but Chris Gaffaney says no and Cook responds similarly to the request for a review. I think that pitched outside leg.
In other news, we have a joint-winner with Michelle Broadley!
@DanLucas86 Monty's opening spin twin from 2008? I have a sneaking feeling that it was KP... #flightedfilth
6.42am BST
18th over: Bangladesh 67-1 (Mominul 16, Imrul 35) target 286 This is now nine overs on the spin for Moeen and why not? He’s been England’s most threatening bowler by a distance – he has one wicket and should have had a second. Mominul shows the class that’s brought him an average of 100 on this ground by leaning into a full one and timing it impeccably through extra cover for four sexy, sexy runs.
6.39am BST
17th over: Bangladesh 61-1 (Mominul 11, Imrul 34) target 286 Whatever happens, this is going to be entertaining. Woakes offers width outside off and Imrul lashes out at it, slashing a top edge thicker than an England manager at Wing’s up and over the slips for four. Hawkeye shows that had England reviewed the lbw shout against Mominul in the last over he’d have been out.
Any more guesses as to who the other spinner England opened with alongside Monty Panesar in 2008 was? I’ll give you the answer at lunch.
6.34am BST
16th over: Bangladesh 57-1 (Mominul 11, Imrul 30) target 286 An appeal from the last ball of the over, which struck Mominul just above the ankle, but I don’t think it straightened enough.
6.31am BST
15th over: Bangladesh 57-1 (Mominul 11, Imrul 30) target 286 Change of bowling and a change of tack from England; Woakes is on for Batty. I’m not quite sure why Broad has had to go off having spent eight overs in the field not bowling, but there we go. Round the wicket, he beats Mominul’s attempted cut with a ball that ignores James Brown and doesn’t get up. Three singles from the over.
6.25am BST
14th over: Bangladesh 54-1 (Mominul 9, Imrul 29) target 286 Imrul reckons he can win this for Bangladesh. He goes on the attack when Moeen overpitches just a touch and plays a glorious lofted drive up and over extra cover for four.
6.22am BST
13th over: Bangladesh 50-1 (Mominul 9, Imrul 25) target 286 Shot from Mominul, getting down low – yes I know that’s easy for him – and swivel-sweeping a bad ball from leg stump down to the long-leg rope for four. He’s a classy batsman, with four hundreds (two against Sri Lanka, one against New Zealand and one against Zimbabwe) in 17 Tests and an average of 54.
6.16am BST
12th over: Bangladesh 46-1 (Mominul 5, Imrul 25) target 286 The problem with this bowling is that the sharpness of the bounce makes it difficult for the close fielders too: Mominul edges a jaffa but Bairstow can only parry it up and over slip. It’s a drop but that’s a difficult chance. They take a single and Imrul responds with a magnificent reverse sweep up and over point for four. That’s drinks too.
6.13am BST
11th over: Bangladesh 40-1 (Mominul 4, Imrul 20) target 286 No short leg for Imrul, who misses out and is struck on the pad attempting to sweep but England’s appeal is only half-hearted and it was probably going well down the leg side. Mominul gets his first runs of the Test with a very strange shot – almost periscoping the straight ball with a deliberate and deft top-edge over the slips and down to third man for four. He edges the next ball just short and wide of second slip.
Im sure Cook will be praised for 'shrood captaincy' after going 10 overs without the obvious short leg... #banveng
6.08am BST
10th over: Bangladesh 35-1 (Mominul 0, Imrul 19) target 286 You could sit and watch these balls from Moeen all day: such a lovely classical action and turn and bounce to beat the outside edge. Aesthetically it’s wonderful. They waste a review, but won’t be mourning its loss too long as Tamim goes a ball later to what was actually a very good catch from Ballance, diving to his right.
6.07am BST
Never mind, short-leg strikes the very next ball! Prodding forward, inside edge, on to the pad and Ballance takes a good low catch.
6.06am BST
Yeah it’s missed everything.
6.05am BST
I think this missed the bat entirely, but both Bairstow and first slip parried this sharply turning ball before Root, I think, brilliantly parries it up in the air, on to his leg, back down to the hand and holds on at the fourth attempt.
6.01am BST
9th over: Bangladesh 34-0 (Tamin 9, Imrul 18) target 286 Sky’s stats person comes up with a good one: this is the highest opening stand of the match now. There is a leg slip in for Tamim against Batty now and Tamim sends an inside edge shooting along the ground just wide of him; they get a couple. Oh and then Haseeb Hameed, on as a sub, nearly takes a wonder catch! Tamim lifts a drive high in the air towards mid-off and the Lancashire teenager turns and goes running after it; the ball drops over his shoulder and just through his outstretched fingertips. Fine effort from the kid.
5.57am BST
8th over: Bangladesh 30-0 (Tamin 5, Imrul 18) target 286 Belatedly, a man comes on with a helmet for Ballance, meaning England finally have a short-leg in for Tamim. He punches off the back foot for a single, which brings the more attacking Kayes on strike so Ballance goes back out to the deep.
“Hi Dan.” Hi Michelle Broadley! “Reading your OBO in bed in the dark here in southern (rainy) Spain! In answer to your question were the two spinners Swanny and Monty? Thanks for your updates!”
5.53am BST
7th over: Bangladesh 29-0 (Tamin 4, Imrul 18) target 286 Imrul continues to bring out the sweep but this time only gets a one and a two from it. The second of those should only have been a single but Gary Ballance opted for a comedy tumble upon fielding it at long leg.
5.49am BST
6th over: Bangladesh 25-0 (Tamin 3, Imrul 15) target 286 Moeenlitharan continues. OK not quite, but he’s certainly enjoying these conditions. A couple more leg-byes – personally I wouldn’t want my bat anywhere near some of these ball.
Moeen has got four deliveries to turn more than 10 degrees in his first two overs. #BanvEng
5.47am BST
5th over: Bangladesh 23-0 (Tamin 3, Imrul 15) target 286 Anyone want to guess who the two spinners England opened with against South Africa eight years ago were? No cheating. Batty hits Tamim on the back pad and there’s a big appeal, but Chris Gaffaney thinks it’s going down leg and Cook agrees with him. They take a couple of leg-byes then another appeal next ball: struck on the ribs as he got down to sweep but this time it’s turning past off.
5.44am BST
4th over: Bangladesh 21-0 (Tamin 3, Imrul 14) target 286 An inside edge on to the pads brings a single for Imrul, rather than the chance it might have presented with a short-leg in. Moeen, when he gets his length right, is tossing down hand grenades here and gets one to bounce and turn sharply off the batsman’s gloves to the vacant silly point region. Imrul misses out with a big attempt at a reverse sweep then wedges one just over backward point for a single. It’s all go.
5.40am BST
3rd over: Bangladesh 18-0 (Tamin 2, Imrul 12) target 286 Four freebies for Bangladesh and that’s frustrating for England: nothing wrong with Batty’s delivery just outside off, but it hits a crack and nutmegs poor old Jonny Bairstow before scooting to the boundary for byes. Imrul then gets four of his own, picking a leg-stump delivery and sweeping it hard behind square to the fence before getting a leading edge just wide of slip next ball.
5.36am BST
2nd over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Tamin 1, Imrul 6) target 286 It’s Moeen from the other end – the first time in eight years England have opened with two spinners in a Test, Atherton informs us. Imrul Kayes gets the run-chase underway by clipping off his ankles for a single to midwicket. This is a bit too full from Moeen and Tamim gets off the mark via a leading edge. And then the first boundary, a very very good sweep behind square for four from Imrul.
5.33am BST
1st over: Bangladesh 0-0 (Tamin 0, Imrul 0) target 286 Gareth Batty opens the bowling in a Test match for what I’m pretty certain without checking is the first time. Two slips and a short mid-on but no short-leg for Tamim, who is beaten by the turn third ball. Doesn’t look like the kind of field that will lead to a collapse within the session that will allow me to go home and watch Black Mirror early. Tamim looks to heave the final ball over mid-off but mistimes it and the ball lands just wide of the scrambling Broad.
5.29am BST
A new milestone for Bangladesh:
Bangladesh have now taken 20 wickets in a Test 9 times: 6 v Zim, 2 v WI and 1 v Eng
5.23am BST
83 overs remain today, plus tomorrow’s 90. This isn’t beyond Bangladesh but I make England the strong-ish favourites.
“Was running Broad out a cunning plan to prevent him using up all the reviews?” asks William Symonds. It does feel a bit rich for England to mock Shane Watson when they have his equivalent down the order.
5.20am BST
81st over: England 239-9 (Batty 3, Woakes 18) Shows what I know: the second new ball is taken immediately and, surprisingly, handed to Taijul Islam. Woakes cuts immediately for a single to cover point, the ball making a lovely sound off the bat that didn’t really match the lack of timing. That’s the last run of the innings though and Bangladesh need 286 to win.
5.19am BST
It’s crashing into middle and leg.
5.19am BST
Batty prods forward and the ball thuds into his shin. It might be going down leg but Dharmasena has given it.
5.16am BST
80th over: England 239-9 (Batty 3, Woakes 18) I genuinely have no idea if it’s in Bangladesh’s interes to take the new ball after this over. The way Woakes is grimly hanging in I’d err towards it being a “no”. The Warwickshire man awkwardly digs out a single into the leg-side before Batty gets a thick edge just wide of the diving man at slip. The lead is 284.
Vic Marks has enjoyed this...
"It's been a terrific, subcontinent surface - much better than a 600 plays 500 pitch"https://t.co/Ebng8A0VyY pic.twitter.com/au4QtcLxMo
5.12am BST
79th over: England 236-9 (Batty 1, Woakes 17) Sharp turn from Mehedi brings a bye as the ball turns and beats leg-slip. I’m sure the Bangladeshi top six in the field will have loved seeing that.
“Hi Dan.” Hi, Richard Woods! “Happy to keep you company, not because I love getting up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday, but because here it has just turned midday on a beautiful Beijing autumn day. If the game finishes today, by my reckoning Chris Woakes will have batted on every day of the test match, albeit not for very long on Day Two. A reasonably rare event to add to the match stats?”
5.09am BST
78th over: England 234-9 (Batty 1, Woakes 16) It’s Shakib, with five for 79 already in the innings, from the other end and once again short-leg looks dangerous for Woakes – Mominul is an outstanding fielder there. Broad is the man in trouble though when they take a single to gully via an outside edge ... and indeed he’s gone without adding to his total. That needless wicket brings Gareth Batty – who is 39 and Dave Whelan once broke his leg in the FA Cup final – to the crease.
Simon Barton sends the first email of the day: “Hi Dan, I’m with you mate. Interesting the BD vs NZ scorecard you link to - Vettori moved from number 8 in the first innings to 4 on the second. Batting. Brave call. Would England ever be so pragmatic?”
5.07am BST
A single to gully proves exactly the folly it sounds and, despite a full length dive, Broad is a long long way short of his ground.
5.03am BST
77th over: England 231-8 (Broad 10, Woakes 14) Mehedi Hasan will open the bowling for the day: normally that wouldn’t be a surprise but the new ball is due in three overs and I expect he’ll take that. Woakes improves on his first-innings effort by surviving the first ball of the day, although he nearly goes to the second, turning it just wide of Mominul at short leg. And the next brings an lbw appeal but it’s turning down leg. He gets a couple working the ball out to midwicket with the spin.
4.58am BST
Is there anybody alive out there? We’re about to begin.
4.45am BST
Actually, as Cricinfo have pointed out, it’s worth England bearing this match on this ground in mind. This is a worse pitch for batting on mind you.
4.43am BST
He says the current pair of Woakes and Broad will look to grind Bangladesh down as long as possible. “What’s the key: spin or seam?” he is asked. “Patience” he responds. He also refuses to commit to predicting how many runs are needed.
4.31am BST
It’s a different sport, but this is a wonderful piece from Brendan Fanning on an emotional day at Thomond Park. It’s still the best away ground I’ve ever been to: back when Munster were one of the best teams around the atmosphere was terrifyingly intense. As an away fan you never felt unwelcome but even the walk up to the stadium, drenched in red, was intimidating.
Related: Munster lay on fitting farewell for Anthony Foley on sombre day
4.13am BST
According to Richard Gibson in the Mail, Jimmy Anderson has been ruled out of England’s first three Tests in India. It’s not good news for the 34-year-old.
6.37pm BST
Morning folks. Somewhere, in a distant and far off land there is a person. A person who once listened to Radiohead’s first album, didn’t like it and decided the rest of their output over the subsequent 24 years was rubbish. This person saw Alien 3 and to this day thinks David Fincher can’t direct. They once saw a production of Hamlet where the stage lights went out and they still tell all and sundry down the pub that Shakespeare was a hack. This person watched the Tracey Ullman show in 1987 and is still convinced The Simpsons won’t be a hit.
This distant and far off land is a comments section somewhere. This person is an idiot. And this person still thinks Ben Stokes doesn’t justify a place ahead of Nick Compton in the England Test team.
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