Bangladesh v England - day three as it happened

Preamble Morning. Ready to watch paint grow and grass dry? That was the main source of entertainment yesterday, when Jonathan Trott revealed his humble ambition to make the slowest 50-plus score in a Test against Bangladesh (guess who's top of that particular list ). Trott made 64 from 187 balls as England reached 171 for three in reply to Bangladesh's 419. Bangladesh have never avoided defeat in a Test against decent (ie top six) opposition except for a heavily rain-affected draw against India in 2007, but England seem more concerned with protecting their series lead than extending it to 2-0. That may seem harmless enough in the context of a series they will almost certainly win, but I think it's indicative of a reductive conservatism that could undermine all the other excellent work done by the twos Andrews, Flower and Strauss. An email "Morning," says Mr Pink. "Having just endured a tedious eight-hour coach ride back from Rome, I cannot wait to see this equally tedious innings from Trott continue. Thinking of cracking open some Liver Compromiser, is 4.30am Italian time too late to start drinking?? A maiden over to start, and I'm starting with an old bottle of Birra Moretti I've just discovered at the back of the fridge. Here's hoping." I'll be devastated for you if Trott tickles a single to third man off the final delivery. Stat du jour It's an old one, but still pretty interesting: Ian Bell now averages 375 in Tests against Bangladesh; unsurprisingly, it's the highest average against a single country. Look who's third on the list . 65th over: England 172-3 (Trott 64, Bell 26) Shakib Al Hasan (24-15-26-1) opens the bowling, and Bell tickles his first bell to fine leg for a single, much to the chagrin of Mr Pink. Trott then goes through his preparatory routine for a good 30 seconds. "Don't suppose you can be timed out when you're out in the middle can you?" deadpans Bob Willis. Trott blocks the rest of the over. "This'll help wake you up at 3am ," says Andy Underwood. "Enjoy." Endure is probably more appropriate, given what's floating round my head at this ungodly hour. It's so loud! But, yes, Archie Bronson and his Outfit are great, especially Dart For My Sweetheart . 66th over: England 174-3 (Trott 64, Bell 28) It's left-arm spin from both ends, with Abdur Razzak coming on. Bell gets up on the balls of his feet to work the first ball into the leg side for a couple and then cuts a poor delivery straight into the rump of the man at silly point. Bell looks busy and comes down the track twice to Razzak, albeit eventually to defend. Good stuff. "Morning Rob!" says Ross Moulden. "I'm hoping Trott gets out before he reaches his century, and Bell goes on to make his. Which would bring an end to the 'Bell has never scored a century without someone reaching one before him' thing." Why does Trott need to get out? Bell will have reached his century before Trott gets to 65. WICKET! England 174-4 (Trott b Shakib 64) Trott is bowled in freakish circumstances. It was a dismal delivery from Shakib, sliding down leg. It hit Trott's pad, bounced up onto his arm and then curved gently back towards the stumps. Trott tried to kick it away but couldn't get there in time, and the contact – though gentle – was enough to dislodge the bail. That's heartbreaking for Trott, who was only a few dot balls away from breaking Nasser Hussain's record . 67th over: England 175-4 (Bell 28, Prior 1) "Sounds like yesterday was pretty grim once Bangladesh's first innings was over; my condolences," says Yemon Choi. "As regards David Hopps' description of Trott converting 'an embarrassing morning into a day of unremitting tedium', it seems like Sitzfleisch might be an appropriate word. Though I also like the sound of 'Sitzkrieg'. Thoughts on how today might pan out? Or, to be gloomier about it, how will Bell contrive to disappointingly get himself out after a few good strokes? My guess is chopping on, after misjudging the bounce." No thoughts. None of that stuff. Just counting the minutes till I can tag Andy Bull in. 68th over: England 184-4 (Bell 29, Prior 8) A strange bowling change: Rubel Hossain replaces Abdur Razzak. I would have thought Prior would least like to face two spinners early in his innings. That said, he reaches for a wide one and edges it through second slip – there are no slips at all – for four. Prior's urgency is probably just what England need here. The wicket of Trott has, paradoxically, increased their chances of victory. And Bangladesh's of course. "Smell the fear," says Ian Whitchurch. "Carn the Tigers." 69th over: England 186-4 (Bell 30, Prior 9) A couple of singles from Shakib's over. 70th over: England 186-4 (Bell 30, Prior 9) Matt Prior has a huge escape. He was plumb LBW, wafting around his front pad at a textbook, Waqarish inswinger from Rubel, but Tony Hill gave it not out. That's unfathomable. Plumb is pushing it, but it hitting all of leg stump and I can't see why that wasn't given. Top stuff from Rubel, who has bowled really well with the old ball. 71st over: England 186-4 (Bell 30, Prior 9) The loss of Trott has stopped Bell dancing down the track, because one more wicket puts England in a real hole. I'd still like to see them play with controlled risk, because they should still win this game. Anyway, that'a a maiden from Shakib to Bell, and his figures have a wonderfully retro feel: 28-16-30-2. "Told you Rubel wasn't crap," says Ian Whitchurch. "I think in Rubel and Shaiful the Tigers have their regulation two decent quicks." I didn't say he was crap, I just said he wasn't quick . But he has got this reversing beautifully and that's a very good skill. Obviously. 72nd over: England 186-4 (Bell 30, Prior 9) Rubel continues to test Prior with the reversing ball. It's a maiden. I wonder if Bangladesh might just carry on with this old ball; there's no real need to take the new one, because they do bugger all with it, and Rubel is a real threat with this old one. "Having been called an unpatriotic traitor on the first day I put my £20 back in my pocket and stuck out my stiff upper lip etc etc," weeps Phil Withall. "Never again shall I be swayed by an OBO journalist. Bangladesh are now 9/2 in from 7/1." I'd love it if Bangladesh won this, almost as much as David Brent would have loved her to be widowed, Gareth. But they won't. 73rd over: England 188-4 (Bell 31, Prior 10) Prior is turned round by Shakib's surprise delivery, the one that turns. "A few weeks ago I made the 45-minute drive to the nearest decent curry house here in Italy," says Mr Pink. "I ordered the spiciest thing on the menu, Chicken Vindaloo, and was disappointed with the fare. I returned last week for a second attempt and this time I ordered the same but did so in English. After one bite I had steam billowing out of my ears. The waiter approached the table grinning and said he didn't realise I was English before and had served me the Italian version of the Chicken Vindaloo. Cue a half-hour chat about cricket and free Kingfisher beers. Happy days indeed." A heartwarming story, no question, but come on, tell us what we need to know: did you open the Birra Moretti? 74th over: England 191-4 (Bell 31, Prior 13) Rubel tries a wider outswinger, and Prior slaps it square for three. "'Reductive conservatism'?" sniffs Khademul Islam. "Are you getting fancy on us, when a plain 'fraidy Jane would have sufficed?" 75th over: England 191-4 (Bell 31, Prior 13) A maiden from Shakib to Prior. "What number of runs are you thinking England needs to hit in this first inning? (Innings?)" asks Doug Velardo. Innings. If they get to within 100 of Bangladesh's 419, I can't see them losing. It's easy for me to say, sat here with my feet up being drip-fed coffee by buxom thirtysomething males, but I think England could be a wee bit more positive here. 76th over: England 198-4 (Bell 37, Prior 13) Bell, reaching for a wider one from Rubel, snicks it low and just to the left of Junaid Siddique at fifth slip. It fell just short anyway. It's smart from Rubel, though, who is bowling very straight and then just occasionally slipping in a wider delivery. "I was a man of my word and cracked open the Birra Moretti (which I later realised was the 'Rosso' variety after a shocking first taste)," says Mr Pink. "I was going to pace myself, but seeing Trott take about 53 minutes to prepare for the first ball of the day put paid to that. I'm now left with a bottle of Grappa which was given as a gift and has been left duly untouched, or a half-opened bottle of cooking sherry. Who am I kidding, it's 5.15 am here, I'm reading the OBO, and reaching for both bottles... " 77th over: England 200-4 (Bell 38, Prior 14) Shakib Al Hasan replaces himself with the inferior Abdur Razzak. It's a harmless over. This game is going nowhere. "Only an English person could love it it if the opposing team were to win," says Dean Butler. "This tree-hugging, heal-the-worldism is why this country is falling apart. That attitude did not win the battle of Trafalgar....oh hang on, what am I becoming? I think I'll spend a few minutes perusing the UKIP website." 78th over: England 203-4 (Bell 40, Prior 15) Ah, Shakib was merely switching ends. Bell comes down the track to drive a couple of singles in another quiet over. Sexy cricket this is not. "German is often brought up when people refer to words in foreign languages that English doesn't have (over 67)," says Ian Forth. "But how about Australian? It's hard to find just the right one- or two-word translation for fair dinkum, whiteant, pike (as in to volunteer for something then change your mind), bail up, bludger, larrikin or spruiker, for example. (But maybe not impossible)." As a child watching Neighbours and Home and Away, I spent literally minutes marvelling over the widespread use of the words 'mongrel' and 'gallah'. 79th over: England 203-4 (Bell 40, Prior 15) The two offspinners, Mahmudullah and Naeem Islam, have bowled just five overs between them, which is quite peculiar given that England could probably play Abdur Razzak with Geoff Boycott's stick of rhubarb. That was a decent over, mind, a maiden to Bell. 80th over: England 205-4 (Bell 41, Prior 16) Time for drinks. I suspect Dean Butler could use one. "I actually did have a look at the UKIP website," he announces. "There's some lovely anti-Europeanism expressed through the medium of gentlemen's ties and ladies' scarves which are very reasonably priced." 81st over: England 215-4 (Bell 51, Prior 16) Bangladesh take the new ball straight away, which is a little surprising. They are persisting with spin, however, and I suppose they will fancy Razzak to get a bit more bounce. His third ball is sheer filth, a long hop that Bell cuts contemptuously for four. He then comes down the track to clout the next delivery over mid-on for a classy, effortless boundary before squeezing a couple to third man. That takes him to a very comfortable half-century. He could play bowling like this all day. If he plays to the age of 97, he will never have a better chance of making his first solo century. "And what does the word 'reductive' add that 'conservatism' wouldn't have covered? Hmm?" says Ian Forth, jabbing a finger into my chest. "I only ask because I once got carried away in a presentation and started talking about an 'emerging WASP demographic', then got bogged down explaining that this didn't imply a religious bias in the target audience to a persistent questioner." I have no idea. It's 4.35am and I'm hungover. These are not normal circumstances so I can't be held responsible for my actions, words or odour. 82nd over: England 219-4 (Bell 52, Prior 18) Shafiul Islam comes out of cold storage to take the new ball, having bowled just six overs so far. His first delivery brings a strangled shout for LBW against Prior, who was saved by an inside-edge. "In a new-ageish kinda way, I feel there some sorta link between the Wenger boys & the Bangla boys," says Shammi Huda. "I mean if Arsenal can land a major honour, then I see the Tigers going on to become a heavyweight Test nation. My credentials? Born off Holloway Rd of Bangla parents & have lived in Dhaka for the last 15 years, so I have both teams in my blood." 83rd over: England 227-4 (Bell 55, Prior 23) Bell sweeps Razzak for two, and that means England have avoided the follow-on . OBEs all round please. Prior then cuts the hapless Razzak for four to bring up the fifty partnership. England really need to kick on now and get into a winning position. They have two positive batsmen at the crease and three more to come. 84th over: England 229-4 (Bell 56, Prior 24) For heaven's sake. The camera is lingering on a topless man with a huge set of moobs and the three lions tattooed on his arm. Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? Shafiul tries a slower ball but Prior picks it. After an awkward first hour, England are cruising. But they are still playing too cautiously, in my humble one. 85th over: England 236-4 (Bell 57, Prior 30) Razzak is having a shocker here, and so is Shakib in keeping him on. Prior clips a rancid full-toss through midwicket for four. "No offence is intended by this Shammi (82nd over) but questioning your bizarre statement would require more questions than I can be bothered to type at 4.53am," says Dean Butler. "What substance is it though and can I have some?" Have you ever had to do anything in your job as overnight security guard? If not I might try to break in to your place of work, just to help justify your existence, and maybe mine. 86th over: England 246-4 (Bell 58, Prior 39) Prior drives Shafiul for consecutive boundaries, the first through the covers and the second blitzed imperiously through extra-cover. He has slipped a gear in the last few overs, and it's starting to look like Bangladesh have missed their opportunity. Or, rather, had it taken away from them when Tony Hill didn't give Prior out LBW. England have scored 41 in the last six overs. 87th over: England 251-4 (Bell 58, Prior 44) Shakib brings himself on for Razzak, but Prior continues apace with a whirling slap through the covers for four. "All the reflex Bell-knocking (and you're not the only one) is getting very dull," says Neil Ingoe. "Must be something to do with the time of day? He's often scored very important runs for England, mostly at five and six in the order. Witness his innings in Durban. It's merely a quirk of statistics that he hasn't reached three figures before any of his colleagues in a given innings, but an understandable one given his usual batting position." I honestly wasn't knocking him, just stating the simple fact about the centuries. I don't think it's that much of a statistical quirk, mind. Bell has played some important innings for England, but a player of his innate class always will. I don't think he has proved himself at Test level yet, personally, and whatever he does today won't change that. That Bell likes the fair weather is in itself not a problem – Steve Waugh averaged 273 against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe – but I do think he needs to do it more often under asphyxiating pressure. 88th over: England 253-4 (Bell 59, Prior 45) Prior gets away with one, slicing a lofted drive to leg at the new bowler Mahmudullah that eventually just clears mid-off. 89th over: England 255-4 (Bell 60, Prior 46) "Greetings from the Dhaka sweat box, where I would feel like Steve McQueen in the Great Escape if I could find a ball to throw against the sides," says David Hopps. "Thanks to OBO, I now know what 'Sitsfleisch' means (indeed, I plan to use it later and may or may not give a credit). I disagree with the dead-of-night optimism of OBO re: England's position – I think England still need lots of Sitsfleisch, and that unless they grind out a lead on first innings they could be in peril. It is the fear that this pitch could fall apart on the last day that is filling them with foreboding. And with Brezzie Lad at no 7 the tail is not exactly proven." Will it fall apart though? Obviously I haven't got a clue, but the Sky chaps were saying the cracks haven't opened at all. I can't see England losing this, but then I am one of nature's optimists. Oh aye. 90th over: England 264-4 (Bell 61, Prior 54) Mike Atherton uses the phrase "willy nilly" in reference to England taking drinks breaks as and when they please. What a phrase that is. Willy nilly. Prior rocks back to pull a long hop from Mahmudullah emphatically for four to reach a good fifty from 83 balls. He's an admirably selfless player and his positive approach is pushing England towards a winning position. "Good God!" says John Wilson. "Knocking Bell isn't dull - Bell is! Durban's been and gone and done and past and he isn't facing Mein and Storkel here so WHY CAN'T HE GET ON WITH IT? Isn't that what he's there for?" I think his plan is just to bat in his beloved bubble while those below him play a bit more aggressively. WICKET! England 272-5 (Prior b Shakib 62) Well bowled Shakib. Prior had hit two full-tosses for four but got a bit carried away, charging down the track looking for another. Shakib held the ball back just enough and it turned appreciably from outside leg to hit the top of off and middle as Prior aimed a big swipe to leg. Very smart cricket from Shakib, and a poor stroke from Prior to end a good innings: 62 from 89 balls, with nine fours. 91st over: England 272-5 (Bell 61, Bresnan 0) Bresnan isn't really a Test No7, as David Hopps said a couple of overs ago, although he does have three first-class hundreds. "Bloody hell, that was quick. Slow morning?" says rocket scientist Neil Ingoe. "Gotta disagree with your response though. He's really improving under pressure. 199 v SA at Lord's (came in with the score not many for quite a few); 72 at the Oval vs Aus; 78 to save the Test in Cape Town; 140 in Durban. Compare to the early part of his career when he was a fair weather warrior..." He's getting better but he still doesn't do it quite enough, I don't think. He's definitely the best option we have at No6 just now, but I still think it's premature to say he's cracked it. 92nd over: England 273-5 (Bell 62, Bresnan 0) Bresnan is happy to defend, with lunch a few minutes away. "Anyway they're on course for a 100-run morning," says David Hopps. "Maybe you've been watching too much IPL?" I'm proud to say that I've not seen one ball of that filth this year. I would say you couldn't pay me to watch it, but that's not true as I'll pretty much do anything for a bit of coin, but I certainly wouldn't watch it in my own time. 93rd over: England 281-5 (Bell 70, Bresnan 0) Shakib is bowling outside leg stump to Bell, who has no interest in playing that game and just thrusts his front pad at every opportunity. When Shakib adjusts his line, Bell cuts lazily for four. Lovely shot. The next ball is a full-toss, and Bell pulls it aloing the floor to deep backward square, where Shafiul makes a terrible miss of a routine piece of fielding to give Bell four more. "That scoreboard picture is more than a little Thunderdome-ish," says J. David Moore. "No doubt KP thinks he would be filling the Mad Max role in that case, but the real question I suppose is, who is the cricket equivalent of Tina Turner's Aunty Entity? Arbitrariness. Capriciousness. Megalomania. Could be either Billy Bowden or Lalit Modi, I reckon." 94th over: England 285-5 (Bell 70, Bresnan 4) Bresnan squeezes Mahmudullah to third man for four. He has looked comfortable so far. "An attempted break in when you've finished your short shift tonight would indeed be entertaining although it would take much more than that to inject meaning into the vein of my existence," weeps Dean Butler. "However my offended dignity must point out that I'm a mental-health professional and not a security guard. And yes I do very little." Why did I think you're a security guard? I'm unravelling. Anyway, that's lunch. Thanks for your emails. Andy Bull is back and will be with you for the rest of the day. LUNCH Some lunchtime entertainment can be found here . Who says the best things in life aren't free? Andy isn't here . Maybe there's been a rota mix-up. Maybe I imagined it. Anyway, it appears you are stuck with me. Dumb luck, hah? 95th over: England 285-5 (Bell 70, Bresnan 4) The players are back out. I genuinely thought I was going to get a couple of sessions off from this match. It's never going to end, is it. Right, Shakib (36-17-60-3) will open the bowling this afternoon. He persists with bowling outside the leg stump to Bell, who defends. A maiden. "About 12:15 am here and I'm on the White Russians now - ran out of beer," says Rai Skrupskis. "I can confirm that in New Mexico admitting to being English will result in an acceptable vindaloo at all Indian restaurants. Most will also throw in a free dessert. What would UKIP make of that?" 96th over: England 286-5 (Bell 70, Bresnan 5) Rubel Hossain returns to the attack, and his first ball brings an optimistic LBW shout against Bresnan. Too high.and going down. There is a wee suggestion of reverse-swing, even though this ball is only 16 overs old, and Bresnan clips a single to leg. "Hey Dean (85th over), no offense taken!" says Shammi Huda. "Was just drawing parallels to both these heavily criticised underperforming teams. B'desh having its Test status questioned on a minute-by-minute basis & Wenger's gilded youth policy. However following both these teams closely you glimpse moments or periods of such style, grace, poetry, beauty and even dammit, genius, that you know they'd be a champion team if they were to acheive any level of consistency. But then all said and done, Dhaka's oppressive heat & stifling humidity has been known to do strange things to a man's mind..." Does anyone know if they sell one-way tickets to Dhaka in the Guardian canteen? 97th over: England 286-5 (Bell 70, Bresnan 5) Another poor umpiring decision, this time from Rod Tucker. Bresnan clearly bat-pads Shakib to silly point but is given not out. In Rod Tucker's defence, it was only clear on the replay, but that's still a bad decision. A maiden. Bangladesh have, as Dominic Cork points out on Sky, been really unlucky with the umpiring decisions in this series. 98th over: England 292-5 (Bell 75, Bresnan 6) Bell pulls Rubel crisply for four to take his average against Bangladesh to 12 million. Sometimes he makes batting look like the easiest thing in the world, and today is one of those days. 99th over: England 299-5 (Bell 77, Bresnan 11) An absolute jaffa from Shakib pitches on middle and spits sharply to hit Bresnan on the back pad, but it was a fraction too high for the LBW. There may also have been the thinnest of edges; it's hard to tell. Unsurprisingly, Mushfiqur dropped it anyway. Bresnan, rattled, pounds down the track and inside-edges a big heave to leg for three. "That's quite moving," says Dean Butler. "I have a tear in my eye. A sweet, lovely and almost realistic response Shammi. By the way Smyth's unfortunate misreading of the Guardian rota or Bull's devilish disregard for Smyth's hours have given me a new and cheerful injection of energy for these final two hours of work. I'm chuckling to myself in a somewhat manic way." 100th over: England 301-5 (Bell 78, Bresnan 12) Rubel Hossain is replaced by Abdur Razzak, presumably in response to Bresnan's struggles against the spin. Nothing happens. "The interestingness of this match is playing havoc with my sleep patterns (see previous Test OBO) and anxieties about the cuts in Higher Education," says Simon Ward. "I thought I was dreaming that a) England were going to lose against Bangladesh and that b) I had to reapply for my job. Then I realised that all things were dependent on Ian Ronald Bell. Nightmare!" 101st over: England 304-5 (Bell 79, Bresnan 13) "What the heck is wrong with these umpires?" says Khademul Islam. "Don't they want to run from the heat go to their hotels, turn the AC on and have some well-made gin and tonics? Or dare we say England have 13 men on their team?" Come on, it hasn't been that bad. 102nd over: England 304-5 (Bell 79, Bresnan 13) Once again, the game is going nowhere. Bell is batting in his bubble, and Bresnan is trying to find his feet and show he can bat No7 in Tests. It's a maiden from Razzak to Bell. "Would it be fair to suggest that there is a comparison to be drawn between getting emails published on OBOs about Bangladesh Tests (as opposed to Ashes Tests for example), and scoring runs in such Tests?" says Simon Ward, stealthily increasing his Bangladesh OBO average. 103rd over: England 304-5 (Bell 79, Bresnan 13) A maiden from Shakib to Bresnan. The score in this innings is now left-arm spin 68-9 offspin. 104th over: England 306-5 (Bell 81, Bresnan 13) A nice late-cut from Bell off Razzak brings him two runs. 105th over: England 308-5 (trail by 111 runs; Bell 82, Bresnan 14) Go on Brezzie lad, give it some humpty. He doesn't, of course, instead pushing Shakib into the leg side for a single. 106th over: England 309-5 (Bell 83, Bresnan 14) England benefit from another generous umpiring decision. Bell missed a nothing delivery on leg stump from Razzak and, although the appeal was relatively muted, Hawkeye showed it would have hit a good portion of leg stump four-fifths of the way up. Strange, because when they showed it live it looked like a hopeleesly optimistic shout. 107th over: England 309-5 (Bell 83, Bresnan 14) "You appear to be wilting Smyth," says rocket scientist Dean Butler. "I guess you were expecting to be drinking your can of cider whilst walking home by now. May I suggest you launch a catalogue of invective against Bull to re-energise your reporting." 108th over: England 316-5 (Bell 89, Bresnan 15) This pitch is starting to turn a bit now, and Razzak spits one past the outside edge as Bell pushes forward defensively. Bell responds with a dance down the track and a beautiful, easy drive over long-on for six. 109th over: England 321-5 (Bell 89, Bresnan 20) Shakib tosses one up, trying to make something happen, and Bresnan crunches it through the covers for four. Please send me an email. Please. 110th over: England 322-5 (Bell 89, Bresnan 21) "At least I've progressed from security guard to rocket scientist," says Dean Butler. 111th over: England 325-5 (Bell 90, Bresnan 23) Offspin! Who knew? It'll be Naeem Islam to replace Shakib. But England continue to bat time, with three singles from the over. "Simon Warde is right that due to the lack of competition Bangladesh Test OBO comments are less hard fought, although it's your opportunity to put down a markerand get something good published," says Tom van der Gucht. If you don't, then it should be considered a personal failure to grasp your opportunity and you may never get picked by the fickle OBO selectors when facing more important opponents again. 112th over: England 325-5 (Bell 90, Bresnan 23) Bresnan gives Razzak the charge and misses, but he is saved from an easy stumping when the ball screws off the pad and wide of slip. "I really don't know how you manage to stay awake for these shifts..." says Rachel Clifton. I'm not sure I technically am awake. I just stood up in an attempt to ward off sleep and felt my knees wobble. What a business. 113th over: England 327-5 (Bell 91, Bresnan 24) Drinks. "Are the potentially hilarious goings on in New Zealand the final nail in the coffin of the declaration as an option in Test cricket?" asks Gary Naylor. "Cook's captaincy is ordinary, but he got that right in Chittagong." He did, but only because he had four bowlers. When it comes to the follow on I think captains worry too much about the potentially ignominy of losing if you have enforced the follow-on rather than the basic question of what gives you the greatest chance of winning. 114th over: England 334-5 (Bell 95, Bresnan 27) Bresnan works Razzak economically to leg for three. He has been solid and careful, but we're none the wiser as to whether he is a viable medium-term option at No7. I suspect not. Bell is certainly a viable medium-term option at No5 or No6 and rocks back to pull Razzak for four. Good stroke. "Disturbingly whilst just carrying out my final tour of my work-place for this shift I've found myself cheerfully whistling Macca's Frog Chorus song," says Dean Butler. "I may have to give up these night shifts." I've been doing the croaking-frog noise from this all night. Now that's weird. 115th over: England 337-5 (Bell 96, Bresnan 29) I missed that over because I was too busy contemplating what to make of the fact that I am desperately chewing my own lip in an attempt to stay awake at 7am on a Monday morning. There were three singles; that much I know. "I moved to Perth about six months ago and I absolutely MUST be at the WACA for the third Ashes Test," says Alex Roberts. "Anyone got any advice about the best way to bag tickets??" Buy them? 116th over: England 340-5 (Bell 96, Bresnan 32) I'm really surprised Bangladesh are persisting with Razzak, mainly because he looks completely useless. Bresnan drives him smartly through extra-cover for three to move into the thirties. "I awake to be disappointed that Trott isn't still in on 87 off 275 deliveries," sniffs Guy Hornsby. "If you're going to punish yourself, why not do it in style? We are, at least, getting on with it. With Swann waiting in the wings, Bresnan should really give it some tap. Rod Tucker doesn't appear to want to give anyone out so as long as we're hit on the pad we should be ok. All this rubbish about Bangladesh OBOs being worthless. They all still count towards your average. Mine must be up to at least 8.76 by now in this series. Almost Ormondesque." Let's see you topless , then. 117th over: England 344-5 (Bell 98, Bresnan 34) Four singles in that Naeem Islam over. Bangladesh are barely even going through the motions. I've seen more intense cat-naps. It might be time to give Rubel three or four overs of reverse swing. "Failing to get an email published in a Bangladesh Test with very little competition is a much more bitter blow than failing against the floods in an Ashes series," says Robin Hazlehurst. "Real OBO winners are those who still get ignored even when noone is reading (or writing). But getting published at least confirms diehard membership of the OBO club – what a thing to claim..." 118th over: England 344-5 (Bell 98, Bresnan 34) Rubel is back into the attack. He has no slips and will bowl very straight, as he has throughout the match. There is some reverse inswing straight away, and Bell defends dilgently. A good over, and a maiden. "Oh dear," says Rachel Clifton. "I'd deliver a bacon sandwich and a large coffee but am chained to the desk at the moment. At least you have got some excitement debating whether Bell can actually make it to his century." He could get 200 here. He has made it look easy. 119th over: England 344-5 (Bell 98, Bresnan 34) Naeem Islam is replaced by poor old Abdur Razzak. It's a maiden to Bresnan. "Am I alone in thinking that Trott played a proper Test match innings, as Belly and er... Brezzy are doing now?" says Gary Naylor. "Just because Australia regularly won Tests in four days (when they regularly won Tests) doesn't mean that their template is the only one. England have had the luck with the decisions in this series, but they lost both tosses and Bangladesh have shown in this match that they are a decent Test team at home. Slowish play is not the same as pointless play (eg extending a lead from 420 to 500 over a full session) - some of us quite like it." I love looking at a scorecard that says 87 from 264 balls. I could get off on those all day. But watching every ball? No thanks. I do think it was a bit too negative; this is Bangladesh, a team who have never avoided defeat in a Test against any of the top seven (except when the weather has intervened). England should have at least 50 runs more at this stage, in my opinion. In this particular game, against this particular opponent, I'd take 394 for seven at this stage over 344 for five. 120th over: England 348-5 (Bell 102, Bresnan 34) Bell late-cuts Rubel Hossain beautifully for four to bring up a classy century, his 10th in Tests but his first when nobody else has reached three figures before him. That monkey is mercifully off his back. He averages over 50 since his return to the side in the summer, so let's hope he's on the cusp of cracking this Test cricket lark. "I love that photo of the scoreboard," says Tom Marlow. "Any chance you bods at The Guardian could keep it as up to date as the OBO? Who needs an electronic scoreboard, that thing is a work of art and keeping at least six people employed." 121st over: England 352-5 (Bell 104, Bresnan 36) Mahmudullah is going to replace Razzak, who is in the unfortunate position of being flattered by figures of 1 for 121. Four singles from the over. Apart from that reprieve when he was caught at silly point early on, Bresnan has looked completely comfortable. He could make a hundred here if he really concentrates. "Due to also being at work all night I wonder if Rachel would deliver a bacon sandwich to me," pants Dean Butler. "I think this thought has been inspired by the thought of a lady being 'chained to the desk'. I probably lack the glamour of a Guardian correspondent however." Yep, it's all glamour here. 122nd over: England 356-5 (Bell 106, Bresnan 38) Tamim Iqbal has come on to bowl his slow-medium allsorts. England help themselves to four singles, but there is still no urgency in the batting. I think this is poor stuff from England. They almost certainly can't lose this game now, but they aren't really pressing to win it. "Simon Mann's made the point on TMS that umpiring decisions for second-tier teams versus first-tier teams are crucial and I'd add that umpires may subconsciously favour the better team on the basis that they will on balance earn the rub of the green," says Luke Richardson. "Roger Federer is very anti-Hawkeye in tennis because it counters the advantage of that slight bias that umpires instinctively gave him, that is, Federer played the shot so it must be good. If Bangladesh are, like many emerging teams before them, going to be given the chance to develop then it must be without prejudice so should referrals/replays etc not be a given in every series?" Definitely. It's just a financial issue isn't it? Bangladesh would have had Prior, Bresnan and Bell today had they been able to refer each appeal. 123rd over: England 356-5 (Bell 106, Bresnan 38) The offspinner Mahmudullah continues to Bresnan, who plays an attacking stroke but only spanks it straight to short extra-cover. A maiden. "I just hope Ian Bell hasn't found a new monkey to adorn his back," says William Symonds. "Never having scored the first hundred in an innings except against Bangladesh ." True that. 124th over: England 360-5 (Bell 108, Bresnan 40) Four singles from Naeem Islam's over. There has only been one boundary in the last 10 overs, which is pretty poor. "You'd take 394 for seven over 344 for five?" says Tom King. "Surely the first one implies a likely draw, whereas the second implies a team batting slowly but steadily towards a position from whence they can attempt to win the game on the fourth and fifth days? I'm pleased to see England batting with some discipline and respecting their opponents for once." I don't see the logic. With the first, the game has moved further along, thus increasing the chance of a result, no? And given that the chances of Bangladesh winning are around 2 per cent, that is good for England. Against a decent team I'd prefer 344 for five, but not in this particular game. As for respect, I'm not so sure. Steve Waugh invariably respect his opponents. His teams also frequently marmalised them. 125th over: England 362-5 (Bell 109, Bresnan 41) Make it stop. "I doubt that umpires favour Federer, it's just that he hits the lines more often," says Gary Naylor. "I hate to say it, but Manchester United get more penalties because they have more players in the opponent's area more often. Better teams force umpires to make more decisions so, inevitably, they get more decisions. Glenn McGrath got plenty of decisions because he bowled straight and moved the ball enough for it to catch the edge or hit the pad." It's an interesting one. I loved that Hawkeye graphic in the first innings of the first Test of 2001, which showed that not a single McGrath delivery would have hit the stumps, even though Nasser Hussain was out LBW b McGrath. 126th over: England 370-5 (Bell 114, Bresnan 44) England have another impromptu drinks break, even though we're four minutes from tea. As Mike Atherton says, that just isn't good enough. When they finally get on with the game, Bell pulls Naeem Islam witheringly for four. "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" says Dave Forrest. "Thank goodness for the dulcet tones of Bob Willis to keep us going..." 127th over: England 372-5 (Bell 115, Bresnan 45) That is the end of a lamentable session. See you in 10 minutes for more misery, unless Andy Bull arrives. I should think I would kiss him, such would be my delight. "As I'm sure you realise, Rob, 'Sitzfleisch' is a German term and it's spelt with a z, and Willy Nilly is one of my pseudonyms, that I use on dodgy blogs," says Geoff Roberts. "So now you know. On a new tack, does any body remember 'England, their England' by A.G. Macdonell? Worth reading for the very perceptive portrait of the village blacksmith as a sort of prototype Freddy Flintoff in a remarkable cricket match." TEA Teatime chatter "At risk of boring your other reader, 'no' is my answer to your question," says Tom King. "394 for seven would most likely lead to England getting a lead of no more than 50 and being put under pressure on the 5th day - having to bat to save the game. England's current position, although deathly dull, is surely an attempt to ensure that they have to bat only once. It seems to me that you're assuming Bangladesh can't replicate their first innings form with the bat. As for the comparison with Steve Waugh's Australia, it's a bit like comparing Everton with Barcelona." Bat to save the game? On that pitch? Arf. And yes, it is like comparing Everton with Barcelona - the point being that Barcelona would beat Sittingbourne 10-0 and Everton would beat them 6-0. They wouldn't go 1-0 up and sit on their lead. I think Bangladesh can replicate their first-innings form, which is precisely why England need as much as time as possible to bowl them out. Why score at 3.5 runs an over now when you could score at 6.5 in a run-chase? 128th over: England 378-5 (Bell 116, Bresnan 45) Shafiul Islam, who had bowled just nine overs so far, will begin after tea. Bell steers a single to third man and is hit on the calf by an errant throw. Then Shafiul swings one down the leg side for four byes. "Obviously not literally chained, so you can calm down on that front, Dean Butler (121st over)," says Rachel Clifton. "Just enslaved at a big, bad investment bank which means I get in at an ungodly hour, though clearly not as blasphemous as you or Smyth. Otherwise, of course, the idea of delivering a bacon sandwich to wherever someone works all night as a mental health professional seems like a great idea..." 129th over: England 379-5 (Bell 117, Bresnan 45) Shakib Al Hasan is coming back into the attack. He even treats himself to a silly point for Bresnan, who continues to play watchfully. "Watching these Test matches seems to be a poor way to introduce myself to cricket," says David Naylor. "It's also 3:30am over here in the States, so this is really a poor decision. Does it always drag so?" Thankfully not, and it's at least 47 times better than that IPL filth. 130th over: England 383-5 (Bell 120, Bresnan 46) Bell is dropped at midwicket. He flicked Shafiul off the hip but Imrul Kayes, diving forward, put down a tricky but eminently catcahable chance. Bangladesh's fielding has been desperately poor by Test standards. 131st over: England 383-5 (Bell 120, Bresnan 46) Bresnan plays out a maiden from Shakib. He is not so much inching as cenitmetreing towards his first Test half-century. What have we learned about him from this innings? Not much. to be honest, but he would seem to have a solid defence and good concentration. "I just awoke from a brilliant dream in which I lived on a tropical island, with a man who did coin tricks and had an enormous rack – me, not him – and I could surf(!) around whales," says Poppy McNee. "Truly, my subconscious is providing a useful barometer to my life. Thanks, Jung." Talking of coin, those who wish to sponsor Ms McNee can do so here . You get a personalised poem in return, it says here. 132nd over: England 383-5 (Bell 120, Bresnan 46) Another maiden, this time from Shafiul to Bell. England are in no hurry at all. One enjoyable thing about this game has been the humorous and insightful commentary of Mark Butcher, standing in for David Lloyd, who has had to fly home with Dengue Fever. That England team of the nineties may not have been awful to take an Ashes series beyond a halfway point, but it has produced some fine commentators. Dominic Cork has been good in this game too. "Morning Rob," says Andy Bradshaw. "I found that to keep awake when I was doing TA stuff – yes Mike from Spaced appears to be based on me – that holding a pencil by my cheek meant that if I started nodding, the pain when I hit the point woke me up again." Who says self-harm is a bad thing? 133rd over: England 387-5 (Bell 120, Bresnan 50) Bresnan reaches his maiden Test fifty with an impressive stroke, running down the pitch and clumping Shakib over mid-off for four. He looks a good, organised player. "I'm writing from Brno, where your selfless early start has captured the hearts of the Czech nation, or at least that of my girlfriend," says James Marsh. "While previously and inexplicably uninterested in forlorn 5am missives on Trott's latest prod to silly mid-on, her love of cricket/OBOs has been awakened thanks to your nod to Jozin z Bazin at lunch. I'm sure many readers will be keen to know it was written by Ivan Mladek , and the title character is a Moravian swamp monster who eats people from Prague (in a wry take on regional jealousies), and can only be killed by a crop-spraying plane. I'm further informed that the last line, 'Jožina jsem dostal, už ho držím, johoho, dobré každé lóve, prodám já ho do zoo', roughly translates as 'I've captured him, ha ha ha, every penny's good, so I'll sell him to the zoo.' Something for us all to think about, there." Blimey, and there was me thinking it was a jaunty little number. 134th over: England 394-5 (Bell 126, Bresnan 51) Bell plays the shot of the day, a wonderfully elegant force through the covers for four off Shafiul. He now averages 476 against Bangladesh, which is almost 19 times his averages against Australia and India (25.68 and 24.66). You've got to love statistics. "Following on from the wonderful advert for Test cricket yesterday morning, I watched the IPL on ITV4," sys Guy Hornsby. "Even taking away ITV's usual ability to present sport like an eastern-European gameshow (Matt Smith doesn't have a clue about cricket, does he?) it was pretty poor. I'd forgotten just how much the sponsor-ridden epithets for sixes and wickets make my teeth grind – don't get me started on the bloody timeouts – but it was pretty boring. Even a 'super over' wasn't that super. Bopara was out for nothing, but at least I got to see Dirty Dirk Nannes play. A fleeting highlight." 135th over: England 396-5 (Bell 127, Bresnan 52) Bob Willis reckons England will start throwing the bat a bit when they get in front (they are 23 behind). If that's true, what a childish approach. Surely you need to move through the gears, not skip between first and fifth. "It's a lovely spring morning here in la belle France!" hahas Chris Drew. "I kept myself busy this weekend trying to explain the rules of cricket to my French neighbours. I thought that as France is still Olympic vice-champion at the sport, they really ought to know about the rules . Unfortunately, I kept getting stuck with translating the vocabulary. Anyone know how to say googly in French?" 136th over: England 400-5 (Bell 127, Bresnan 56) Bresnan digs out a good yorker from Shafiul and then heaves a lolloping bouncer over midwicket for four. That brings up the 400 in the 136th over, an impressive rate of scoring. In 1982. "Googly in french comes out as ' Bosanquet ' obviously!" says Martin Matthews. 137th over: England 402-5 (Bell 129, Bresnan 56) Bell reaches outside off stump to slog-sweep Shakib to cow corner for a couple. Bob Willis is commentating with Shamim Chowdury, and just said his first name with a real Bo Selectaish flourish. I almost expected him to shout 'Ee-hee!' "I don't know the French for googly but here is a very funny story about cricket in French ," says Dick Pyle. "I believe that the French team that won silver in the Olympics all came from the UK embassy." 138th over: England 403-5 (Bell 129, Bresnan 57) Rubel Hossain, Bangladesh's best bowler in this innings, comes back into the attack, and Bresnan inside-edges a good one past leg stump and down to fine leg. Bell blocks the rest of the over. I'm not really sure what's going off out there. "Bosanquet had no links with France (apart from a good claret occasionally), but the French federation simply liked his French-sounding name," says Martin Matthews. "The other good translation is chasseur (hunter) for fielder. Other translations aren't so good; silly point comes out as indication stupide . 139th over: England 403-5 (Bell 129, Bresnan 57) Shakib is bowling to Bresnan with a slip, short extra cover and indication stupide . It is, no word of a lie, a maiden, Shakib's 23rd of the innings. "In response to your request for emails; it's a very civilised 8.15 pm here in Melbourne and suitable time for a decent red," says Tim. "I have just watched the highlights of NZ v Oz in wellington, highly amusing footage of covers being blown across the ground, with groundsmen attached." I bet that had nothing on this white-knuckle ride of a match. 140th over: England 403-5 (Bell 129, Bresnan 57) Rubel is still reversing it, as he has all day, but you suspect it's only really a problem for batsmen who are new at the crease. Bell plays out the 39th maiden of the innings. "I've no idea what the French for 'googly' is, but at school I had a French dictionary with all sorts of diagrams, with the English and French words both labelled, which includied a diagram of common fielding positions," says Alan Evans. "All of the English ones were accurately labelled, but every single one was labelled as chasseur in French. I imagine that this linguistic limitation makes setting fields rather tricky, which may explain why they're not seen as one of the great cricketing nations. 141st over: England 404-5 (Bell 129, Bresnan 58) "As this is the record first time that I've even been bored by an OBO update of a Test match on my work PC I would like to pose the question 'What would be better to watch on TV?'" says Mike McCarthy. "I nominate Pineapple Dance Studios, My Family, and the Hills as officially Better Than This Test. What else?" This is so boring that I'd almost be tempted to watch The Wire instead of it. 142nd over: England 409-5 (Bell 133, Bresnan 59) Bell feathers a full toss from Rubel through the covers for four. His Bangladesh average is up to 483. 143rd over: England 411-5 (Bell 134, Bresnan 59) "On this wicket, with very little assistance to the bowlers, surely the onus is on England to up the rate to allow a declaration as soon as possible tomorrow morning," says Abdul Hafez. "Why the lack of any urgency?" I do not have a clue. I would love to hear an explanation for it because to my admittedly tiny mind this approach is simply unfathomable. WICKET! England 415-6 (Bell c Jahurul b Shakib 138) The ball after driving beautifully down the ground for four, Bell skies a slog-sweep and is taken at deep midwicket. Mushfiqur Rahim shakes his hand, which is a nice touch. Bell's average against Bangladesh is down to 244. 144th over: England 415-6 (Bresnan 59, Swann 0) "I have to agree with Mike McCarthy here," says Guy Hornsby. "Even the combination of OBO's plentiful gallows humour and Cricinfo's ball-by-ball 'updates', this is fast getting to the point where I'm going to end up doing some work. Bleak times. 21 runs from 10 overs? Someone just hit it. I can't even contemplate what existential depths you must be wallowing in. I think it's so bad that I'd even watch Hollyoaks. My god, for a moment there the spectre of GMTV raised its head. Please god, no. What is this Test doing to us all?" 145th over: England 419-6 (Bresnan 62, Swann 1) Swann will add some life to this game, you would hope, and he gets off the mark from his first ball. Bresnan then works Razzak for three into the leg side to move his fledgling Test average to 71. Watch out Andy Ganteaume. 146th over: England 419-6 (Bresnan 62, Swann 1) Shakib bowls his 25th maiden, to Bresnan. His figures are 53-25-89-4. "How about a 'This game is so poor that...' riff?" says Nath Jones. "I'll start with: This game is so poor that I've stopped listening to TMS and am instead talking to my work colleagues about their weekends." 147th over: England 426-6 (Bresnan 63, Swann 6) Rubel Hossain is bowling again. Swann flicks a full toss for two to put England in the lead. He looks busy as ever and times three more through the covers later in the over. "Seriously Rob... you're haemorrhaging OBO readers faster than the Brown bloke is losing voters," says Tim Maitland, harshly dragging Phil Brown into this. "In the interests of keeping you employed, I can put you in touch with Getty Images... it's not as if their photographers are being rushed off their feet by the action, is it?" WICKET! England 426-7 (Swann run out 6) Graeme Swann is run out backing up. Bresnan smacked a bump ball straight back at Shakib, who managed to get a finger to the ball and divert it onto the stumps with Swann short of his ground. The third umpire took absolutely ages to confirm that the ball touched Shakib's little finger. It looked pretty clear to me. 148th over: England 426-7 (Bresnan 63, Broad 0) England lead by seven runs. "Very strange to see the English names spelled correctly on that scoreboard photo," says Khademul Islam. "Back in the good old days 'Bell' would have been 'Balls' and 'Finn' would have been 'Inn'." He's right. Just ask Iron Bottom. 149th over: England 426-7 (Bresnan 63, Broad 0) The offspinner Mahmudullah comes into the attack in place of Rubel Hossain. Shakib, as Bob Willis says on Sky, is clearly a fan of the ball turning away from the bat. Broad goes back to a quicker one but just gets his bat down in time. Then he gloves a sweep straight into the ground. A maiden. "This game is so poor that I've emailed Nath Jones to express my astonishment that after going so long without really having a proper job, he has remembered how to engage with 'work colleagues' or indeed any members of the human race," says Luke Remsbery. "I imagine they humour him by pretending they spent their whole weekend playing Football Manager so he remains oblivious to normal human pursuits. Like International Cricket Manager." 150th over: England 426-7 (Bresnan 63, Broad 0) Another maiden from the indeshakibable fatigue. Hang on, that doesn't look right. England are playing for the close, which is due in four overs' time. "What is the third umpire doing deliberating as to whether Shakib had touched it? Shouldn't it be the on-field umpire's decision, the third umpire giving the decision on the line-call? Or has something changed to give the third umpire jurisdiction as to whether the fielder touched it?" I've no idea, but what I do know is they absolutely are not making it up as they go along . 151st over: England 428-7 (Bresnan 64, Broad 1) Broad plays tip and run to mid-on to get off the mark. "This game is so poor," says Grant Cartledge, "...that I have resorted to doing work... And it's 9pm here in Melbourne... And I am at home... And I have no deadline whatsoever to meet... At all." 152nd over: England 432-7 (Bresnan 68, Broad 1) Shakib bowls his penultimate over of the day to Bresnan, who lifts one just over mid-on and away for two. He has an amazing chance to get a Test century in only his second innings. "Maybe we should change the riff to 'people who seem to still be a bad mood because they had to miss the rugby on Saturday to take their girlfriend to see Phantom Of The Opera'," says Nath Jones. "I'll start: Luke Remsbery." Get a chatroom! WICKET! England 434-8 (Broad LBW b Mahmudullah 3) Broad goes in the penultimate over of the day. For reasons best known to himself, he played down the wrong line defensively and was beaten on the inside. That was plumb. 153rd over: England 434-8 (Bresnan 68, Tredwell 0) Tredwell is a decent No10. He has a first-class average of 23 and a top score of 123. That said, he survives a big LBW shout second ball. It was not dissimilar to Broad's dismissal, but I reckon this one was sliding down. "This game is so poor," says Paul Billington, "that its heading off to Cash Converters to try and pawn its soul, in an attempt to scrape together some funds for a Vesta Chow Mein and some Special Brew." 154th over: England 440-8 (Bresnan 74, Tredwell 0) Bresnan cuffs a short one from Shakib through midwicket for four. and then whaps a full toss for two more. He has been impressively secure in this innings and needs 26 for his maiden Test century. Anyway, that's the end of a day that will live short in the memory. England lead by 21 so all four results are still possible, with an England win the slight favourite ahead of the draw, I'd say. Thanks for your emails; see you for more of the same at 3am.