Sporting life
Mohammad Ashraful became the second Bangladesh batsman to score a hundred on tour - but only after taking on the official scorers at Fenner's.
Ashraful, who rewrote Test history as the youngest-ever centurion as a 17-year-old in 2003, perished immediately after acknowledging his three figures only to find that he had been credited with 99.
When he pulled and drove successive boundaries off successive deliveries from British Universities medium-pacer Glen Read, the scoreboard moved from 94 to 102 - but he picked out fine leg with a hook next ball.
Having celebrated his landmark with fellow centurion Javed Omar in the middle and acknowledged the applause from his team-mates on the balcony, it was an hour later when he was informed he was one short.
"Initially I felt a bit sad because they told me I was out for 99," said Ashraful. "But I was very confident I had scored a century.
"I went to the scorers and asked them whether I definitely had 87 yesterday because I counted the rest of my runs this morning and that included a three through mid-on."
The shot in question was missed by the official scorers but not by scoreboard operator Craig Davidson, an Australian club cricketer doing the job for some spare cash.
Davidson, who had no means of communicating with the scorebox before lunch, said: "The walkie-talkie hasn't been working very well.
"I could hear them but they couldn't hear me. The scorers told me he only had 99 when I walked in for lunch and I thought 'jeez, that's a bit hard on the lad'.
"But I could remember the three and so could he."
Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore has attempted to temper Ashraful's often gung-ho approach during his two-year tenure but admitted: "He has only had a few hundreds before, for Bangladesh players it matters a lot.
"You never like to see a batsman get out just after getting a hundred, some people might think it would teach him a lesson if he had gone for 99, but I don't see it that way."
Ashraful, a compulsive hooker, says he will continue to play in the same manner whether peppered with Steve Harmison's bouncers or not.
"I always like to play positive no matter what the situation," Ashraful added. "Even at 10 for three I like to put the bad balls away.
"I don't feel it will be anything extraordinary against Harmison, I like to hook and have hooked Tino Best.
"Before hooking might have been a problem to me but that is better now and if there are two fielders out I hit with more control."
Bangladesh will be hoping their top order can get plenty more time in the middle at Fenner's tomorrow and will be keen to polish off the British Universities, who resume on 190 for five, a deficit of 191.