India’s cricketing brains trust will not have summoned an emergency meeting to redraft their plans for the five-Test series against England after studying the second day’s play here. They will be content to stick with plan A, which is, as usual, to spin for victory.
The pitch at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, while slow, is still offering turn but, with the exception of a brilliant first over from Moeen Ali just before lunch during which he removed Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque, England’s triumvirate of spinners found it tough going in the cauldron of Chittagong.
The ball continued to spin throughout the day but as it increasingly looked as if it had been ripped from the teeth of a stubborn, ill-trained golden retriever, it did so with less venom. Moreover, the inability of the England spinners to becalm the Bangladesh batsmen became ever more apparent. Often a succession of maidens can lead to mistakes by the batting side in these conditions but no such pressure could be applied.
In part this was down to the excellence of the batsmen. Tamim Iqbal led the way with a high quality 78 from 179 balls, which may not suggest he was motoring along but on this pitch and with a sluggish outfield it probably translates to a rate of over four runs per over at Lord’s.
Then the other experienced men in the Bangladesh middle order – Mahmudullah, the wonderfully impish Mushfiqur Rahman, and the old pragmatist, Shakib Al Hasan – sustained the torment into the final session. The home side were 221 for five at the close in what is proving to be a compelling game – mainly because there is sufficient encouragement for the bowlers, spin bowlers that is.
None of the English spinners could match the control of the 18-year-old debutant, Mehedi Hasan. He snatched one more victim in the morning, while the left-armer Taijul Islam took two wickets as England added 35 more runs. Chris Woakes was caught at short leg from the first ball of the day, Adil Rashid contributed a skittish 26 while Stuart Broad was caught behind off Mehedi after yet another review.
The 10 reviews in the England innings was a world record. Perhaps the third umpire, Sundaram Ravi, should put in for a pay rise. Out in the middle, poor Kumar Dharmasena had yet another of his lbw decisions overturned and will probably not choose this week to knock on the ICC’s doors in search of an increased salary. After two days he has raised his finger six times and only once has a batsman been required to head off to the pavilion.
Bangladesh’s response to England’s total of 293 was sedate and secure. Gareth Batty shared the new ball with Stuart Broad. His first delivery for England in 11 years was short and cut for four by Imrul Kayes but when he found a better length he sometimes beat the bat with sharp turn. After six overs he gave way to Moeen, whose second delivery fizzed off the pitch to clip the top of Kayes’s off stump. Three balls later Haque, another left-hander, edged the ball into Jonny Bairstow’s hip; the ricochet ballooned up to Ben Stokes in the gully.
But England could not capitalise after lunch. Rashid spun the ball sharply but too often the pressure was relieved by loose deliveries and the subsequent cheap runs. International batsmen do not dread the unplayable ball anywhere near as much as being unable to score. Even Moeen, after his dream start, allowed the batsmen too much leeway.
Tamim’s judgment of length was impeccable; he favoured punching the ball off the back foot through the covers, which he did with surprising power. He has a magnificent record against England – an average of 65. Even so the constant presence of a long-off when the off-spinners were bowling to him seemed a precaution too far on a pitch such as this. Surely he should have been required to earn the right to tap the ball down to long-off for a single?
Mahmudullah offered disciplined support until the last over before tea when he pushed forward to a Rashid leg-break and was neatly caught at slip by Joe Root. After tea Tamim, loitering on the back foot once too often, became Batty’s first Test wicket for 11 years when he was neatly caught by Bairstow. At last Batty could permit himself a characteristic roar – he always attracts the adjective “feisty” but until this point the 39-year-old had been going about his business as decorously as a choirboy.
Shakib bristled from the start in a stand of 58 with Mushfiqur, who was caught – not so neatly this time – by Bairstow just before the close, thus becoming the first batsman to succumb to a seam bowler (Stokes) in the match.
It is, of course, the spin department that causes more anxiety for England. These are early days on the expedition but the spin trio failed to convince. Briefly Moeen with his extra pace through the air was threatening but he could not consolidate.
Rashid was exasperating – on turning pitches so many free runs can make him a liability. Batty was the most accurate but a little too gentle, an adjective he seldom provokes.
