Nasser Hussain and all rounder Rikki Clarke steadied England with an unbeaten century stand as they closed on 237 for four against Bangladesh after the first day of the second Test.

The obdurate Hussain was on 47 and the 22-year-old Clarke on 53 not out after the visiting team had lost four top-order wickets for eight runs to slump to 134 for four.

Hussain, concentrating on defence, had a life on 36 when he drove straight back to Mohammad Rafique, who injured a finger as he tried to take the catch.

Four runs later the former England captain escaped again when edging through the slips.

Clarke, batting as cautiously as Hussain, chipped slow left armer Enamul Haque jnr over mid-on for his eighth four to bring up a maiden half-century.

The pair scraped together 49 runs in 28 overs in the final session.

"Nasser kept talking to me after every over. He kept me going," Clarke said. "I was lucky to have someone like him at the other end at such an important stage.

"It was vital for Nasser and me to hang around. I think we did pretty well... I hope to get a big knock tomorrow.

"It wasn't a very easy wicket to bat on first up. There was a bit in it for the seamers."

Put in, England's opening pair had put on 126 before Marcus Trescothick (60), Michael Vaughan (54), Mark Butcher (6) and Graham Thorpe (0) all fell within five overs.

The left-handed Trescothick, dropped off a difficult chance when on 36, started the collapse when he drove at Khaled Mahmud's medium pace and sliced straight to point.

Butcher, yet to reach double figures in the series, was trapped on the back foot by left-arm spinner Rafique when he should have been forward.

Quick bowler Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets, the England captain caught behind off a loose drive and Thorpe playing on facing his second ball.

Trescothick, particularly severe on the spinners with a string of lofted drives and front-foot pulls, hit three sixes and five fours. Vaughan, hitting straighter, recorded 10 fours in his second consecutive half-century.

Clarke's innings was particularly welcome to England after he failed to impress on his debut in the first Test, when he was also fined for swearing.

England's performance had echoes of the first Test, when they made 137 without loss in their first innings before collapsing to 295 all out. England won the first match by seven wickets after being pushed all the way.

Bangladesh have yet to win a Test, with 24 defeats and a draw in a rain-curtailed match against Zimbabwe at Dhaka in 2001.

England were without strike bowler Steve Harmison due to a back strain. They left out off-spinner Gareth Batty to include Richard Johnson and fellow quick Martin Saggers, who made his debut.

Scoreboard:

England first innings:
M.Trescothick c Mushfiqur Rahman b Khaled Mahmud 60
M.Vaughan c Khaled Mashud b Mashrafe Mortaza 54
M.Butcher b Mohammad Rafique 6
N.Hussain not out 47
G.Thorpe b Mashrafe Mortaza 0
R.Clarke not out 53

Extras: (b-6 lb-2 nb-4 w-5) 17

Total: (for four wickets, 90 overs) 237

To bat: C.Read, A.Giles, M.Saggers, M.Hoggard, R.Johnson

Fall of wickets: 1-126, 2-133, 3-134, 4-134.

Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 16-4-39-2 (nb-2 w-2), Mushfiqur Rahman 9-1-38-0, Khaled Mahmud 18-8-29-1 (w-3), Mohammad Rafique 27-11-44-1, Enamul Haq Jnr 14-0-66-0 (nb-2), Alok Kapali 4-0-12-0, Rajin Saleh 2-1-1-0.