Trescothick, Thorpe put England in front

An early breakthrough by Stephen Harmison after England took a 92-run first innings lead boosted the tourists' victory hopes before a power failure to the main grid in Dhaka brought an early end to day three. Earlier Marcus Trescothick's fifth Test hundred had steadied England after a three-over spell in which they lost three wickets for three runs, and Graham Thorpe made a priceless 64 to ensure the lead. Bangladesh ended the day on 12 for one, still 80 runs behind.

The hosts lost their first second innings wicket in the fourth over as Rajin Saleh, deputising at the top of the order for the injured Javed Omar, got a thin edge to Harmison for Chris Read to do the rest. To England's frustration the floodlights began to fail shortly afterwards, prompting the umpires to offer the batsmen to chance of going off, which they duly accepted.

At the start of the day Trescothick's opening partnership with Michael Vaughan had continued serenely before the captain, on 48, got a bottom edge on to his off stump attempting a paddle sweep to the off spinner Mohammad Rafique. Next over Butcher, in two minds whether to play a stroke to an off-stump delivery from Mushfiqur Rahman, was lbw on his front pad. Hussain, after driving expansively at his first ball from Rahman, got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud with a similar stroke and England, after being 137 without loss 18 balls earlier, were 140 for three.

Despite being dropped at slip by Rahman off Rafique, Trescothick continued to play positively, particularly against the spinners. After surviving a confident lbw shout on 94, he went to his hundred in the grand manner, with a huge six over midwicket off Rafique. Along with Thorpe he took England to 175 before providing Enamul Haque Junior with his first Test wicket, sweeping a turning delivery straight to Khaled Mahmud at square leg.

Thorpe and Rikki Clarke, playing his first Test innings, saw England through to lunch, after which Thorpe was soon back in his stride, peppering an arc between cover and long off with three immaculate boundaries. Clarke, in his first Test innings, was supportive and watchful as the Surrey pair nudged England in front. A straight six for Thorpe off Haque provided further respite, but with the fifth-wicket partnership just one short of the 50 mark, Clarke lost his off stump as he left an arm ball from Rafique.

Playing his first Test for more than four years, Read made just a single before edging Haque to the wicketkeeper as he tried to cut. Having taken a wicket in his first over of Test cricket yesterday, Gareth Batty took a run off his first ball before Thorpe went through to his half century (148 balls, six fours, one six), an innings which in the circumstances was vital to England's cause. Batty's first boundary followed, as he dispatched a Rafique full toss through long on, and another to third man brought up the 250.

Batty fell to the new ball just ten minutes before tea, caught behind as he tried to run Mortaza down to third man. On the stroke of the interval Thorpe followed, looping a catch to gully as he ducked into a short ball from Mortaza. Harmison was lbw to a full toss straight after the break, but Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard then added a useful 28 runs for the tenth wicket before Giles was last out, brilliantly caught at silly point as he tried to sweep Rafique. The 92-run lead may not have been quite what England were hoping for this morning, but on a deteriorating pitch it still looks significant.