Follow-ons and repeat failures

It was by no means a given that Andrew Strauss would enforce the follow-on when England ended Bangladesh's first innings on the second evening. However, the damp Manchester morning that greeted the team on Sunday did Strauss a massive favour. If he was pondering extending the lead and letting the pitch wear, overcast skies meant it was a no-brainer to stick Bangladesh back in - 34.1 overs later the match was over and England had earned themselves two days off.

The stuffing was knocked out of Bangladesh's effort with just the second ball when their swashbuckling hero, Tamim Iqbal, fended at a rising delivery from James Anderson and feathered an edge to Matt Prior. The visitors have ridden on Tamim's outstanding form during this tour, a continuation of what he showed in Bangladesh earlier this year, but he was due a failure after six fifties in seven innings. His success has clearly rattled England and Anderson's pumped-up celebration when he claimed the scalp showed how vital they knew the wicket was. And that is the biggest compliment Tamim can be paid.

With Tamim gone early England sensed blood with Anderson hooping the ball away from the Stretford End and Steven Finn steaming in from the Brian Statham End. Finn was gaining considerable bounce off a length and had Imrul Kayes in an almighty tangle with a bouncer that the left-hander fended off his gloves. His demise didn't feel far away and he soon top-edged his second hook of the match to find the man at deep square-leg, giving an identical entry in the scorebook to yesterday: c Shahzad b Finn. Meanwhile, England will feel their plans have worked with Kayes falling to the short ball - and Finn - in all four innings.

Mushfiqur Rahim is a gutsy cricketer and a mighty fine batsman who, in the long term, may be better suited to shelving the keeping gloves and being in the top five. When he walked to the crease his team was in tatters at 37 for 5 but he still tried to battle it out in stronger fashion than some of his top-order team-mates. During a testing spell from Ajmal Shahzad, Rahim took a nasty blow on the bottom hand as some extra bounce caught his glove and left him in considerable discomfort. After some treatment from the physio he fought on, but grimaced more than once and the pain probably played a part in his limp chip to midwicket. Finn claimed the wicket, but Shahzad's role was key.

When England play Test matches at home they rely on the local county to supply the substitute fielders so that squad players can return to their domestic teams. It means the opportunity for someone to grab a moment in the spotlight. Occasionally they play a vital role in victory, as when Paul Weekes took two sharp chances at short leg against West Indies, at Lord's, in 1995. This time, the catch struck the way of Karl Brown, the Lancashire batsman, at midwicket was a simple affair but it will have given him great joy to cling on and savour helping England take a wicket.