LONDON, 29 May 2005 — England put the finishing touches to Bangladesh’s Lord’s misery as they swept up their last five wickets to seal an innings and 261-run walkover on the third morning of the first Test yesterday.

Bangladesh, outclassed throughout and who had conceded a 420-run first-innings deficit after being steamrollered for 108 on the opening day, resumed on 90 for five, clinging to the hope of putting on some sort of show.

Fast bowlers Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison, however, shared three wickets in the first nine balls to put an end to that day dream. England wrapped up the innings for 159, half an hour before lunch.

Quick bower Simon Jones took three wickets for 29 and all rounder Andrew Flintoff three for 44.

“Before the game I mentioned the word banana skin but apart from the first 10 overs of the match I thought we were excellent,” home captain Michael Vaughan told a news conference.

“We were ruthless in the field and very dominant with the bat. The important thing is to repeat it in the second Test.

“We can only play whoever is in front of us.

“I thought Simon Jones was excellent, swinging the ball at pace. It’s not something we have seen him do too many times.”

England’s win — the 10th biggest innings victory in Test history — was their 13th in 17 Tests, set against one defeat. For Bangladesh, playing at Lord’s for the first time, it was their 32nd defeat in 37 starts.

Ultimately, England’s selectors will have learnt little before the real business starts against Australia in July, although they will still have been heartened by Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick’s centuries, Hoggard and Jones’ sharpness and the team’s ruthlessness.

Spinner Gareth Batty, though, brought in for the injured Ashley Giles, did not bowl a single ball or get a bat.

For Bangladesh, there were two many harsh lessons to digest. Aftab Ahmed personified one of the main ones.

He has some fine shots but wants to play them regardless of the situation. He is also vulnerable to fast, short-pitched bowling. Resuming on 26 not out and needing to knuckle down as the last specialist batsman, he did not see out Saturday’s first over.

After a sublime extra-cover drive for four, he departed plumb lbw as Hoggard seamed one back in.

Mohammad Rafique came and went first ball, snicking Harmison behind, as did Mashrafe Mortaza, bowled off his pads next delivery to make it 97 for eight.

Anwar Hossain survived the hat-trick ball, a huge lbw appeal, with nine close catchers around him, then slashed the next ball through point to bring up the 100. The spectators at Lord’s would have received a full refund if less than 10 overs were bowled in the day.

But former captain and current wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud, showing the judgment many of his teammates lacked, batted well at No. 7 to put on 58 - Bangladesh’s best stand of the match — with Anwar, the pair earning big cheers from England fans hungry for more cricket.

Afterward, Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore rejected suggestions that his team would benefit from a two-tier Test structure, saying such a plan would be “pure folly”.

But he accepted that his players had perhaps been overawed.

“We would have liked to do something at Lord’s - to play here is a great honor,” he said, adding the batting needed more discipline while “the boys have a little bit of disbelief that they can get wickets... but they were playing against a very good side.”

The second and final Test in Durham starts on Friday.