Bangladesh trailing Ireland by 128 runs

Special Correspondent
Published: 06:00PM. 5 Apr 2023
Bangladesh trailing Ireland by 128 runs

Mushfiqur Rahim hit his tenth Test hundred while Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam ran rampant with the ball that guided Bangladesh to take complete control over Ireland as the hosts are trailing the visitors by 128 runs at stumps on the second day of the one-off Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.

Mushfiqur Rahim made 126 runs, his second fastest Test ton, and 87, 55, and 43 came from Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Liton Das to manage 369 all-out in reply to 241 by the visitors that handed them a 155-run lead in the first innings.

Shakib and Taijul claimed two wickets each to reduce the tourists to 27-4 in the day’s final session.

Ireland were never in the hunt as they lost their top four batsmen for 13 runs inside the seventh over.

Shakib brought the early breakthrough for his side, trapping opener James McCollum leg-before for a duck in the opening over of the Irish’s second innings.

Just after three overs, another opener, Murry Commins, fell to Taijul for 1, followed by skipper Andy Balbirnie for 3.

Shakib then dismissed the dangerous Curtis Campher for 1 to see the tourists stuttering on 13–4.

Harry Tector who bagged his maiden Test fifty in the first innings remained undefeated on 8 alongside his partner Peter Moor on 10.

Earlier, Bangladesh resumed the innings on 34-2 with their overnight batsman Mominul Haque, who remained on 12, and in-coming Mushfiqur Rahim.

However, the former couldn’t boost his innings further as Mark Adair clattered his stumps after for five runs, reducing them to 40-3.

Then Shakib and Mushfiqur in the fourth wicket stand went untroubled until the day’s preliminary session, adding 130 runs, with the former hitting his 51st Test fifty from 45 balls, hitting six fours and one maximum that gave a glimpse of another record day.

However, all was in vain after Shakib gave a catch behind the stumps for 87.

Following his departure, Mushfiqur and Liton formed a quickfire 84-ball 87 to bolster the total, but the pair couldn’t uphold the momentum after the latter was dismissed by Ben White.

However, Mushfiqur continued single-handedly with his partner Miraz and earned a 135-ball Test hundred, surpassing his earlier one that he made in 2010 against India at a strike of 88.59.

However, the veteran eventually fell in the day’s final session after Commins completed an eye-popping catch by McBrine.

Then, riding on Miraz’s fourth Test fifty Bangladesh racked up 369 before they were all out in 80.3 overs.

Andy McBrine was the standout bowler for the Irish, scalping 6-118 and while Ben White and Mark Adair each took two wickets.

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