bdnews24.com: A fired-up spin bowling show from debutant Mehedi Hasan Miraz has helped Bangladesh pierce through England batting order on a close-fought opening day of the first Test.
Gritty half-centuries from Moeen Ali (68) and Jonny Bairstow (52) – both dismissed by Miraz – rescued the tourists, who were tottering at 106-5 at one stage
Moeen, however, led a charmed life as he was involved in five reviews on either side of the lunch break. He was adjudged lbw three times off Shakib Al Hasan but every time the batsman had the decision overturned on review.
Despite looking uncomfortable playing spin, he paired up in two fifty-plus stands to revive England.
England sent in debutant Ben Duckett to open with Alastair Cook, who became the most-capped England Test cricketer in his 134th appearance.
Miraz, one of the three players who had been handed Test debuts by Bangladesh, was introduced as early as the second over and the youngster took little time to take the centrestage.
His maiden Test wicket was that of Duckett who was completely beaten by the flight and turn.
Mushfiqur Rahim opted for spin from both ends and the move paid immediate dividend with Shakib dismissing Cook (4) with his second delivery.
Miraz then trapped Gary Ballance (1) in front on review as England slumped to 21-3 losing three wickets in the space of as many runs.
Moeen then joined up with Joe Root (40) and put up 62 runs for the fourth wicket to recover from the early setback before the teams went for lunch with England on 81-3.
Although all the other batsmen had cold feet facing spin, Root stroked the ball around with ease and grace. He cracked five crisp boundaries in his fluent 49-ball knock before Miraz took him out.
Shakib, too, kept up the pressure at the other end. He removed Ben Stokes (18) with a ripper that sprung through after pitching to clip the top of the stumps and left England five down.
Moeen then patiently played himself in, playing out 100 deliveries for his first 24 runs, and joined up with Bairstow to rescue their team. The pair soldiered on to make sure England lose no more wickets before tea.
But Miraz proved to be a thorn when he ended Moeen's watch inducing an edge to Mushfiqur and break the crucial 88-run partnership early in the final session.
Bairstow, who also rode his luck for 52, then added 43 more with Chris Woakes (36 not out) to build on Moeen's work. Bairstow continued a stellar year in Tests by cracking his eighth half-century.
He became the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Andy Flower (1045 runs) to reach a thousand Test runs in a calendar year.
He was within striking distance of the Zimbabwean's record when he fell to Miraz as the 18-year-old spinner became the seventh and youngest Bangladesh bowler to claim five wickets on debut.
The track, however, can also offer a lot for England, who are playing with three spinners, when Bangladesh will come out to bat. In addition to the spin of Moeen and Adil Rashid, England also included Gareth Batty in their Test lineup after 11 years.
