The pair came together after England lost four wickets for ten runs. By close, the visitors were 237 for four with Clarke on 53 and Hussain 47.

Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud won his second consecutive toss and invited England to bat first.

But the tourists, who are one-up in the two Test series, made the most of the splendid weather after rain, which was ominously threatening the other day, stayed away from the bustling port city.

After surviving some initial nip and zip in the early overs, where the home pace bowlers bowled without any luck, England went to lunch on 87 without loss. The match came to life after the break with the Tigers making fast inroads.

England openers Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick were looking in ominous touch and had put on 126 with little trouble when Mahmud made the first breakthrough.

Trescothick (60), who had made his intentions clear by clubbing three sixes, flashed at a delivery outside the off-stump and the ball ballooned into the hands of Mushfiqur Rahman at backward point.

Mushfiq earlier floored a difficult chance off the opener when he was on 34.

Mark Butcher came in and whacked Rafique over widish mid-wicket for a four. But he played the very next ball staying back on the crease and missed the line completely to have his off stump rattled.

Mahmud made an inspired bowling change by taking himself off and bringing in his strike paceman Mashrafee who had toiled without success in the morning session.

The gamble reaped immediate reward with the country's fastest bowler taking two wickets in five balls.

Vaughan (54 off 124 balls) was caught behind and two balls later, Graham Thorpe dragged the ball on to the stumps leaving the tourists on a tricky 134 for four.

The Tigers were then thwarted by the partnership between Hussain and all-rounder Clarke.

Clarke was confident from the beginning and mixed aggression with caution. He reached his maiden Test fifty in his second match with an expansive shot for four in the last session of the match.

On 36, Hussain was dropped by Rafique off his own bowling. The veteran right-hander then survived a close call just before stumps when a Mashrafee delivery took his edge and sailed between two slip fielders who were too slow to react.

Bangladesh fielded the same eleven that played in the first Test in Dhaka while England were forced to replace injured paceman Stephen Harmison with Middlesex seamer Richard Johnson. The tourists also decided to drop off-spinner Gareth Batty and gave quick bowler Martin Saggers his Test debut.