England take control of first Test

Cricket: England belatedly took a stranglehold on the first npower Test against Bangladesh, enforcing the follow-on on the fourth…

Cricket:England belatedly took a stranglehold on the first npower Test against Bangladesh, enforcing the follow-on on the fourth morning at Lord's.

James Anderson finished with four for 78 and Steve Finn four for 100 as the tourists were bowled out for 282 in reply to 505.

England therefore had the opportunity to push for an innings or at least wide-margin victory, with a day to spare.

Eighth-wicket pair Shahadat Hossain and Mahmudullah collected a rush of early boundaries, through attacking fields, to narrow the equation in pursuit of 306 to pass the follow-on mark.

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But after setting out on 237 for seven in bright and fresh conditions, the Bangladeshis lost Shahadat for a breezy 20 when he missed a slog at a full slower ball from Anderson and was bowled off his back pad.

Mahmudullah, perhaps preoccupied with trying to manage the strike in company with number 10 Rubel Hossain, then drove all round a straight half-volley and was also bowled by Anderson.

But it was Tim Bresnan who finished the tourists' first innings off before they could make England sweat too much, taking his first wicket of the match when he had Rubel flashing an edge from a flat-footed drive high to third slip.