Nafees Shows Hosts Will Be No Push Over

Attempting to settle on their line-up for the start of the series in this final three-day warm-up game, England's attack were instead embarrassed by youngster Nafees, who will not even be considered for the test because he is due to tour Pakistan with the Under-19's.

Nafees hit a brilliant 118 off only 168 balls, an innings which included a six and 14 fours, and ensured Bangladesh A reached a competitive total of 242 on the opening day.

England captain Michael Vaughan lost the toss and was forced to field in temperatures reaching the high nineties.

Nafees' innings frustrated England and their trio of seamers all hoping to earn a test place - Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Johnson.

He was supported by a determined 28 from captain Rajin Saleh, while there were important innings down the order from Arafat Sunny and Mosaddek Hossain,

Harmison helped his claims by grabbing two wickets inside the first six overs, opener Javed Omar edging behind before Aftab Ahmed edged to Rikki Clarke at second slip six balls later.

Hoggard and Johnson shared three wickets between them, with the A team underlining the emerging talent now available to Bangladesh as they attempt to establish themselves as a Test nation.

Once Harmison made the early breakthrough, Rajin teamed up with Nafees in a 158-run partnership which was only broken when Johnson won an appeal for caught behind against the captain.

Once Nafees fell attempting a second six down the ground off spinner Gareth Batty, this time caught by Graham Thorpe in the deep, the innings seemed on course for collapse with three wickets falling in five overs for four runs.

Instead, the A team's lower order were equally resistant to England's efforts and it was not until the tourists took the new ball that the last two wickets were claimed inside a three over spell.

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