Clippings: England quell Bangladesh uprising

Bridgetown (Barbados), April 12
England survived quite a few anxious moments, before quelling Bangladesh by four wickets and to keep their semifinal hopes alive in a low-scoring World Cup Super Eights match here.
Requiring 144 runs for victory, England made a mess of the run-chase but an unbeaten stand by Paul Collingwood (23) and Paul Nixon (20) thwarted Bangladesh's another sensational turnaround.
Nixon hit a four off Mortaza with five overs still to go and brought relief to England dressing room.
England next plays South Africa and West Indies and will have to win both to fancy any chances of a semifinal berth. Bangladesh's dream World Cup performance might not take them to the last four stage anymore but nevertheless, they have done themselves proud with their achievements.
Earlier, England invited Bangladesh to bat on a track that was a refreshing change from the slow and low pitches so far. The Kensington Oval, hosting its first World Cup match was fast and bouncy and England did not think twice in giving their pacers the first chance.
James Anderson (2-30) and Sajid Mahmood(3-27) lapped up the conditions on offer before Monty Panesar (3-25) joined the party. Bangladesh batsmen surrendered in just 37.2 overs with Saquibul Hasan (57 not out) hitting a gritty half-century but ran out of partners at the other end.
But the never-say-die attitude of the young Bangladeshi side brought them right into the match. They played with a big heart and looked like the dictating team in the middle. Their dismal performance with the bat had no bearing as they bowled and fielded like tigers.
Bangladesh's army of left arm-spinners were upto the task again, choking the English batsmen whose over cautious approach in chasing a small total could have cost them dearly.
Abdur Razzak (2-30) and Mohammad Rafique (2-33) tightened the noose around England after Syed Rasel's tidy spell fetched two wickets.
England scored just 30 runs in their first 10 overs, losing the wicket of Ian Bell. Syed Rasel completed his quota on-the-trot and kept things tight for England with his gentle and nagging seam bowling.
Rasel first took the wicket of Bell (0) whose tentative push went into the hands of Aftab Ahmed. After the lunch break, Rasel got Strauss leg before. Strauss (23 off 37 balls) and Skipper Michael Vaughan took time to settle down but never really looked comfortable.
Vaughan chose the occasion to come back to form and took his time out in the middle only to leave England in a tricky position. Vaughan, who took 59 balls to score 30, mistimed a sweep and lobbed an easy catch to Habibul Bashar.
The hard hitting Peietersen was also caught in the spinning web, scoring 10 off 25 balls. He charged Razzak to break the shackles but found the fielder at mid-wicket. England 79 for four and looking in deep trouble.
Andrew Flintoff tried to hit his way out and looked to finish things in a hurry. His 23 runs came in 21 balls which included three boundaries and one six.
Rafique bowled a beauty to rattle Flintoff's stumps and then got Ravi Bopara inside edge to his wicket with almost a similar delivery. Two wickets in Rafique's one over (32nd) gave Bangladesh a real chance of causing a turnaround.
With just 34 runs to win, Collingwood and Nixon, though edgy, stuck to the crease and score through pushes and nudges.
Bangladesh stepped up the attack and Rafique looked dangerous with every ball but the total was too small to defend at the end.
Earlier, England pace attack thrived on lively conditions to bundle out Bangladesh for a meager 143 runs in 37.2 overs.
Bangladesh were struggling at a pathetic 65 for six and faced with the humiliation of being bundled out without hundred runs on the board. Saqibul Hasan (57) and Mashrafe Mortaza (13) put in a stand of 47 runs to save the blushes.
More than the pace, it was the bounce of the track that unsettled the batsmen. Mahmood got the wicket of promising opener Tamim Iqbal before Skipper Habibul Bashar's was out in slightly strange fashion.
Shahriar Nafees flicked Mahmood over mid-on only to find skipper Michael Vaughan, who dropped a sitter but his throw at the strikers' end caught Bashar napping. Bashar was so sure that his partner would be caught that he stood at the halfway dejected without completing the run.
Nafees could not make the most the Vaughan lifeline and edged Mahmood behind stumps which was taken by Strauss in third slip as it came off Nixon's gloves.
The solid defence of Mushfiqur Rahim was crashed through by a Flintoff delivery. Anderson got rid of danger-man Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed.
Saqibul and Moratza then came together to do the rescue act. The duo added 47 runs before Panesar broke the stand.
Panesar's teasing tossed-up delivery was too tempting for a bowler to resist and Mortaza's big heave landed nowhere. His stumps were, however, rattled. Saqibul, who hit six fours and one six in his half century knock that came in 82 balls, ran out of partners.