Bangladesh on top in second test

Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah provided the impetus for a stubborn Bangladesh batting display on day one of the second Test against England.

Tamim blazed his way to 85 in 71 deliveries after the home side had won the toss, hitting 13 boundaries and one mighty six before falling to debutant James Tredwell.

Mahmudullah picked up the baton with a measured 59, while Shakib Al Hasan made 49 in a score of 292 for six with an hour's play left.

Tamim wasted no time getting started, steering the first ball of the day for four through third man.

Three more boundaries followed in the first four overs, though his charge could have been ended on 11 when Paul Collingwood got a finger to a thick edge off Tim Bresnan.

Such was the frenetic nature of Tamim's start that he had reached 25 before Imrul Kayes had troubled the scorers.

Graeme Swann was sent on in just the eighth over and Tamim promptly milked two fours off him to bring the 50 partnership up off 48 balls.

Tamim continued to live dangerously and was dropped by captain Alastair Cook at mid-on trying to smear Stuart Broad over the top.

Imrul (12) was not so lucky and was well caught by the diving Steve Finn two balls later to give Broad the first wicket of the day.

Tamim continued his assault unperturbed, smashing 19 off Swann's third over, including three successive fours followed by a towering six, to move past his half-century.

Finn did not escape punishment, shipping 22 runs in a chastening two-over spell.

England put the brakes on Tamim by posting five boundary fielders, a remarkable sight after little more than an hour.

Tredwell eased any debut nerves with a maiden to Junaid Siddique and then struck gold, removing Tamim 15 short of his century.

Tredwell's celebrations for his maiden Test wicket were expected, but those of catcher Matt Prior and Cook hinted at just how much of a scare Tamim had given them.

Jahurul Islam then produced an undistinguished first Test innings, snared lbw on the back foot by Swann for a six-ball duck.

Mahmudullah may have been next but Cook failed to take the ball cleanly at silly point, sparing the umpire a tough bat-pad decision.

Junaid, Bangladesh's first Test centurion, played tentatively until lunch but was more expansive after the restart, finding the rope three times in the space of four Broad deliveries.

He became Swann's second victim in the 38th over, wrapped on the pad in front of middle stump for 39.

Shakib Al Hasan came to the crease at 167 for four and was reprieved by the TV umpire after three deliveries when the ball ricocheted to Prior off a combination of Cook's boot and the ground.

Mahmudullah was busy compiling a confident 59 at the other end, hitting solidly with the spin off Swann and Tredwell and also taking advantage of some uninspired close-catching from Cook at silly point.

He brought up his half-century with an impeccable cover drive for four but departed on a soft note as he dabbed the returning Finn to Collingwood at point.

The 20-year-old continued to prove costly, though, Shakib locating the boundary three times in five balls as Bangladesh moved to 250 at tea. The skipper was run one away from scoring a third half-century of the innings when Tredwell won a straightforward lbw verdict as he missed a slog-sweep.

Mushfiqur Rahim, whose composure at the crease impressed in the 181-run defeat at Chittagong, hoisted Tredwell for a towering six down the ground as he pushed the hosts towards 300.

Prior then failed to pouch his fellow wicketkeeper from a thick edge off Tredwell as England looked to expose the tail before stumps.