England vs Bangladesh: Ben Stokes drags England back from the brink to put tourists in control

England 293 & 228-8 Bangladesh 248: Stokes tears Bangladesh apart with the ball before hitting 85 after yet another top order collapse

Stokes hit 85 with the bat to put England in a commanding position at the end of day three (Getty)

Ben Stokes' all-round tour de force almost single-handedly pulled England out of the mire on day three of the first Test against Bangladesh.

Stokes defied the searing heat and unfavourable pitch with a magnificent spell, spread across two days, that yielded four for 10 in 10 overs as Bangladesh collapsed from 221 for four to 248 all out, handing England a 45-run first-innings lead.

After their top order wilted to Bangladesh's spinners in the Chittagong cauldron and they were five wickets down with the advantage only 108, Stokes rode to the rescue once again with 85 from 151 deliveries as England closed on 228 for eight and a lead of 273.

On a pitch that is offering plenty of turn, but is still not yet deteriorating, Stokes proved he is not just a flat-track show pony with a determined innings here, and his century partnership with Jonny Bairstow could yet go a long way to deciding the outcome.

Stokes claimed four wickets for just 10 runs in a 10-over spell (Getty)

Bairstow was less assured than his partner during his 47 but he set a new record for the most runs amassed by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year as England were once again bailed out by their lower middle order.

That they slipped to 62 for five was largely down to the handiwork of Shakib Al Hasan, who ended the day with five for 79 - although England's batsmen were at least partial authors in their downfall with several loose strokes.

Shakib started the day in ignominious fashion by gifting his wicket away, senselessly charging at Moeen Ali only to be stumped, while nightwatchman Shafiul Islam cracked Adil Rashid to mid-on.

England's decision not to take the new ball was rewarded when Stokes, who claimed the key wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim on Friday evening to begin the slide, found some reverse swing to trap Mehedi Hasan in front.

The heat takes its toll as Mushfiqur Rahim reacts to a missed chance (Getty)

Sabbir Rahman was hit on the helmet by a fired up Stokes, who then induced the edge and Alastair Cook took a low catch at first slip.

Stokes then brought the ball back in to castle last man Kamrul Islam Rabbi three balls later to finish with figures of four for 26.

England were immediately under siege from spin and although openers Cook and Ben Duckett seemed to settle well, that all changed before the lunch interval.

Cook will not look back on an England record 134th Test appearance with too much satisfaction after edging Mehedi Hasan to slip on 12, while Joe Root missed a sweep and was pinned in front by Shakib, who then had debutant Duckett caught at short leg.

Jonny Bairstow and Stokes's partnership helped pull England back from the brink (Getty)

From 26 without loss, England had stumbled to 28 for three, which became 46 for four when the under-fire Gary Ballance glanced a sweep to leg slip for his second single-figure score of the match.

Moeen's pained 14 was then ended when he under-edged a sweep off Shakib onto his pad and Mushfiqur took a tremendous diving catch.

Stokes and Bairstow were understandably cautious - although the latter's second run and his 1,046th in 2016 saw him pass the record set by Andy Flower in 2000.

Stokes cast off the shackles with a reverse sweep for four for England's first boundary in 15 overs before launching Taijul Islam into the stands for a meaty six, while another leg-side maximum took him to his fifty.

Bairstow was once again the understudy, playing a similar role to the one he played when the pair set a world record sixth-wicket partnership against South Africa earlier this year.

Stokes single-handedly pulled England back into the contest after a devastating spell with both bat and ball (Getty)

While that 399-run stand was played on a featherbed of a Cape Town pitch, this partnership on a turning wicket was arguably more impressive, with Stokes, in particular, rock-solid in defence and ruthless to long hops from the spinners.

Neither offered even a half-chance so it was something of a surprise when the 127-run partnership ended as Bairstow chopped Rabbi onto his stumps three short of his half-century - the first England wicket in the match to fall to a seamer.

Stokes seemed a certainty for a third Test century, and his second of the tour having already thumped a hundred in the one-day series, but he fell lbw to Shakib - who also trapped Rashid in front for nine, with the not-out decision overturned on review.

PA