Bell left to shoulder England hopes (From Haringey Independent)

Bell left to shoulder England hopes

6:32am Monday 22nd March 2010 in

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England were looking to Ian Bell for a major score as Bangladesh took two wickets on the third morning of the second Test to keep alive their hopes of a first-innings lead.

Kevin Pietersen last night described the track as "an absolute road" and said his side were looking to bat all day on their way to around 500, but that script was soon out of the window as Jonathan Trott fell in the third over.

Matt Prior also departed after a breezy 62, leaving Bell with the burden of responsibility.

He had extended his overnight score of 25 to 70 not out at lunch, with England adding 114 runs in the first session to reach 285 for five.

Having sent down 15 maidens in a testing spell yesterday, it was no surprise to see Shakib Al Hasan open for Bangladesh. The decision paid dividends almost immediately, with the spinner striking in his second visit to the crease.

Having stoically faced 187 deliveries on day two, Trott was out off his eighth ball of the morning, bowled after a ricochet off pad and elbow.

In the absence of a sixth specialist batsman, Prior was in at six and the wicketkeeper played positively and made the bulk of the first fifty runs he shared with Bell.

Prior was looking in wonderful touch and moved to 62, overtaking Bell in the process, by thrashing successive full-tosses to the ropes.

But he lost his composure attempting a third, dancing down the track to Shakib but missing one that turned and losing middle stump. Tim Bresnan joined Bell at number seven and saw England to lunch without further drama.