CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, 30 October 2003 — Nasser Hussain and all-rounder Rikki Clarke steadied England with an unbeaten century stand as they closed on 237 for four against Bangladesh after the first day of the second Test.
The obdurate Hussain was on 47 and the 22-year-old Clarke on 53 not out after the visiting team had lost four top-order wickets for eight runs to slump to 134 for four.
Hussain, concentrating on defense, had a life on 36 when he drove straight back to Mohammad Rafique, who injured a finger as he tried to take the catch. Four runs later the former England captain escaped again when edging through the slips.
Clarke, batting as cautiously as Hussain, chipped slow left armer Enamul Haque Jnr over mid-on for his eighth four to bring up a maiden half-century. The pair scraped together 49 runs in 28 overs in the final session.
Put in, England’s opening pair had put on 126 before Marcus Trescothick (60), Michael Vaughan (54), Mark Butcher (6) and Graham Thorpe (0) all fell within five overs. The left-handed Trescothick, dropped off a difficult chance when on 36, started the collapse when he drove at Khaled Mahmud’s medium pace and sliced straight to point.
Butcher, yet to reach double figures in the series, was trapped on the back foot by left-arm spinner Rafique when he should have been forward.
Quick bowler Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets, the England captain caught behind off a loose drive and Thorpe playing on facing his second ball. Trescothick, particularly severe on the spinners with a string of lofted drives and front-foot pulls, hit three sixes and five fours. Vaughan, hitting straighter, recorded 10 fours in his second consecutive half-century.
