Jonathan Trott is 64 not out as England reached 178-3 at stumps, 248 runs adrift of Bangladesh's score, on day two of the second Test.
The hosts resumed play in Mirpur on 330-8 and Shafiul Islam struck 11 fours in 53, sharing 74 with Naeem Islam, who finished unbeaten on 59 to push the score up to a competitive 419.
In reply stand-in captain Alastair Cook went for just 21, Kevin Pietersen passed 5,000 Test runs but fell for 45, while Paul Colliongwood was trapped lbw on the crease for a third-ball duck.
However Trott batted for four hours and 28 minutes to reach 64 at stumps and will look to build on his 64 partnership with Ian Bell (25 not out) when day three gets underway on Monday.
Bangladesh, who dominated proceedings on Sunday, will now be looking to convert their pressure into a maiden Test victory over England to level the two-match series at 1-1.