Bangladesh take the plaudits
England were made to struggle on the first day of the third and final Under-19 Test against Bangladesh at Cardiff, as they were shot out for a meagre 185 in just 49.1 overs
Wisden Cricinfo staff
17-Aug-2004
Bangladesh 58 for 2 (Nafis 39*, Shamsur 4*) trail England 185 (Patel 65) by 127 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
England were made to struggle on the first day of the third and final Under-19 Test against Bangladesh at Cardiff, as they were shot out for a meagre 185 in just 49.1 overs.
England's innings got off to the worst possible start when Joe Denly was run out in the very first over without even facing a ball (0 for 1), and with that timely boost to their morale, Bangladesh set about decimating England's top order. Rubaiyat Huq removed Moeen Ali and Ravinder Bopara in the space of five balls, before Nadif Chowdhury trapped Steven Davies for 6 (48 for 4).
Alistair Cook had been looking on impassively from the other end, but when he fell to the other Chowdhury, Ashim, for 36, England were 56 for 5 and floundering. Ashim struck again two runs later when Tom Smith was bowled for 1, before Shadahat Hossain got in on the act with two swift wickets.
At 125 for 8, England were looking down the barrel, but Samit Patel dug in for a vital 65, and received excellent support from David Griffiths (21) and Michael Munday (15 not out), as England scraped together 60 runs for the last two wickets.
By the close, Bangladesh had reached 58 for 2 in reply, with Nafis Iqbal warming up nicely for next month's Champions Trophy with an unbeaten 39 from 47 balls. Both wickets to fall had gone to Simon Cusden.