Finn's five-wicket haul guides England to victory at Lord's
Andrew Strauss hit his second half century of the game as England looked to chase 160 for victory
Monday, 31, May 2010 03:26
By Richard James at Lord's
England 505 (Trott 226, Strauss 83) and 163 for 2 (Strauss 82)
Bangladesh 282 (Tamim 55, Siddique 58) and 382 (Tamim 103, Kayes 75)
ENGLAND WIN BY EIGHT WICKETS
Steven Finn's first first-wicket haul in Test cricket helped guide England to an eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh at Lord's.
Captain Andrew Strauss' 82 in the second innings meant England reached the 160 required for victory having lost only two wickets on Monday.
The fact the match went to a fifth and final day was testament to the spirited performance by Bangladesh over the five days, who defied expectations to hand England a genuine fight in their first Test match of the summer.
Finn, 21, was by far the stand-out bowler for England throughout the Test, ending with match figures of 9-187 and proving himself to be a real talent for the future.
His efforts with the ball combined with Jonathan Trott's mammoth knock of 226 in the first innings meant England were never in any danger of losing the game. However, Tamim Iqbal's heroics with the bat on Sunday - becoming the first Bangladesh player to score a century at Lord's - meant a draw still remained a distinct possibility at the start of play on day five.
With ticket concessions offered for the final day on the Bank Holiday Monday, plus with the added sweetener of fans being offered the chance to walk out onto the hallowed turf during the lunch break, a good Lord's crowd witnessed England finally find their form and set up the win after struggling for long periods of the match.
Finn was once again the catalyst, rounding off a superb home Test debut with three early wickets in the first two hours of play.
The 6ft 8in paceman added two to his tally before midday when Bangladesh resumed on 328 for five, a lead of 105, after being asked to follow-on by Strauss on Sunday.
The Middlesex bowler first had Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan cutting a low catch to Eoin Morgan at square-leg for 16, before removing Junaid Siddique, after a valiant innings of 74 runs, when the Bangladesh number three looped a catch into the hands of Tim Bresnan at extra cover after a half-hearted drive
In the second hour of play, Finn completed his five-wicket haul after dismissing wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who edged a catch behind to Matt Prior without bothering the scorers.
Bresnan then denied the 21-year-old the opportunity of taking ten wickets in the game, by wrapping up the tail - removing Rubel Hossain, edging through to Strauss at first slip, and then Mahmudullah, who took a wild swing and feathered a catch through to Prior.
In response to the 160 set to win, only Strauss showed any real attacking intent, hitting a quick-fire half century, his second of the game, off 50 balls.
The final match figures will show the victory was secured with relative ease by England, in reality though Bangladesh put up a terrific fight, one they can be genuinely proud of.
Strauss' men will have to improve significantly if they are to challenge Pakistan later in the summer and even more if they wish to retain the Ashes down in Australia in the winter.
England AJ Strauss (Cpt), AN Cook, IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, IR Bell, EJG Morgan, MJ Prior (WK), TT Bresnan, GP Swann, JM Anderson, ST Finn
Bangladesh Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan (Cpt), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Mahmudullah, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam, Rubel Hossain