Stuart Broad overcame a back injury to help England to a laboured 181-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chittagong.
Faced with an unresponsive pitch, the Nottinghamshire paceman returned match figures of 3 for 135 as the hosts dug in on the final day – at one stage threatening an unlikely upset.
After being put in by Bangladesh captain, Shakib Al Hasan, England made light work of the bowling to finish their first innings on 599-6 declared. With, skipper Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood both hitting big tons, and Kevin Pietersen falling on 99.
A big win for the tourists looked to be on the cards when they dispatched the home side – who have never won a Test at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – for 296. Broad helped himself to the early wickets of Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique, to leave Bangladesh a massive 303 runs behind.
However, in a nod to the effort taken to dismiss the hosts, new captain Cook failed to enforce the follow-on and England appeared to struggle from that point on.
Cook and Ian Bell top scored, with 39 and 39 not out, as the tourists declared on 209-7. But, with a lead of over 500 it appeared a formality that England would go on and win.
That they did, but the decision to start the match with only four bowlers – and no second spinner – looked like the wrong one on a pitch that offered nothing to seam bowling.
Despite losing early wickets at the end of the fourth day, Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim dug in to frustrate England – who went wicket-less for more than two sessions. The former plundered 106 runs to secure his country’s first Test century against England, while Rahim fell five short of a second.
Graeme Swann – on his way to a 10-wicket match haul – was the man to break the partnership, as he induced an edge from Siddique to Collingwood. Defeat was inevitable for the home side from that moment on and Broad got in on the action with the wicket of Abdur Razzak as Bangladesh were bowled out for 331, 182 runs short of victory.
England now travel to Mirpur for the second Test knowing that they were made to work harder than the 181-run winning margin suggests.
For more on England’s tour of Bangladesh, go to ECB.co.uk.
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