Cricket:Ian Bell was holding the England innings together as honours were shared with Bangladesh on the opening day of the second npower Test at Old Trafford. The batsman was unbeaten on a chanceless and patient 70 as England reached 253 for five midway through the final session.
Bell’s calm approach repaired the damage done by Bangladesh’s revamped attack on a pitch which started to turn for the tourists’ three spinners from early afternoon.
Kevin Pietersen had earlier threatened to take the game away from Bangladesh with an aggressive 64 but his needless stumping kept the hosts in check.
Eoin Morgan, playing his second Test, accumulated a steady 37 in an unflustered fifth-wicket partnership of 70 with Bell but was well caught by a diving Jahurul Islam after slashing at Shahadat Hossain.
England, leading 1-0 after victory at Lord’s, began positively after Andrew Strauss won the toss and put on a brisk 45 with Alastair Cook.
The spin of Mahmudullah was introduced as early as the ninth over but it was the recalled Shafiul Islam — whose output was later restricted by a leg injury — who made the breakthrough.
Shafiul forced Strauss to edge to Imrul Kayes at second slip and then followed up by bowling the in-form Jonathan Trott, a double centurion last week, via bat and pad.
The double success calmed the scoring rate and Cook, after a good start, also became more subdued. He eventually fell as lunch approached, forcing left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak’s first ball to Junaid Siddique at slip.
England slowed to 92 for three at lunch but Pietersen, unbeaten on 22 at the interval, lifted the tempo after the resumption. Keen to stamp his authority on the game, he soon got after Razzak and twice lofted him for four.
Bell also got in on the act to launch him for six and Pietersen, whose 50 came from 73 balls, then cleared the ropes himself. Yet just as he was looking set to take command, over-confidence eventually got the better of him as nemesis Shakib Al Hasan returned to the attack.
Pietersen had fallen to the Bangladesh captain in three of his previous six Test innings and he was beaten again on a wild charge and neatly stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bell’s half-century came off 97 balls with four fours.
Bangladesh, wearing black armbands after a fire killed more than 100 in Dhaka overnight, were applying considerable pressure but Bell remained steady moving into the final hour.
Yet after a sunny morning and afternoon, the weather was threatening to force an early close as clouds gathered.