Mominul denies U19s winning start

Nathan Buck captured three wickets in his opening spell, but Mominul Haque stepped up to guide the hosts' chase

England Under-19s were defeated in their opening warm-up match ahead of the only Test in Bangladesh, losing by four wickets to a Mominul Haque-inspired Bangladesh Under-19s in Dhaka.

The rearranged 50-over encounter at the Shere Bangla National Stadium served as England’s only match preparation ahead of next week’s Test, after the first day of a proposed two-day game at Fatullah was lost to rain.

After winning the toss and batting first, England were bowled out for 213 from the final ball of their 50 overs.

There were half-centuries for Ben Stokes (53), Azeem Rafiq (51) and Paul Best (57). A stand of 58 between Yorkshire’s Rafiq and Best of Warwickshire rescued England from a tricky position at 105 for six.

Leicestershire seamer Nathan Buck reduced the Tigers to 18 for three in response in figures of 3-17, but Mominul anchored the innings with a match-winning 93 not out from 111 balls thereafter.

The 18-year-old shared partnerships of 61 with Emamul Hossain (24) and 68 with Shabbir Rahman (26) to give Bangladesh the upper hand ahead of the international matches proper.

The two sides meet in a four-day Test at Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong, from Friday. A further practice game and seven one-day internationals follow.