Mehedi Hasan Miraz grabbed a six-for for the second consecutive Test while the top order made decent contributions in the second innings as Bangladesh took a lead of 128 runs at the end of the second day of the Dhaka Test.
The visitors did take a slender lead of 24 runs in the first innings thanks to a 99-run ninth wicket stand between Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes on Saturday, but Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah made sure the hosts were equal to it when they came to bat for the second innings.
Tamim made 40 before becoming Zafar Ansari’s first Test victim as skipper Alastair Cook took a catch at the leg slip. Imrul were unbeaten on 59 when the umpires called it a day, but Mahmudullah was bowled in the day’s last delivery. On 47, he tired to whip an Ansari ball, and he will regret the way he missed it.
Earlier, England looked clueless in front of Miraz and Taijul when Root was the eighth batsmen to leave with the score on 144, with the visitors trailing by 76 runs.
But Adil and Woakes rose to the occasion and patiently took their team towards a decent total. Adil was not out on 44 while Woakes became Miraz’s sixth victim of the innings after making 46.
Starting the second day’s play on 50 for 3, England kept losing wickets every now and then as they had no answer to Miraz’s bowling.
Taijul Islam also joined the party soon as he removed last Test’s hero Ben Stokes before he could make a single run and pinned highest-scorer Joe Root (56) leg before the wicket when he looked poised to bring England back to the game.
Taijul ended the innings with three wickets to his name as he also picked the last wicket, that of Steven Finn.
With a lead of 128, the Tigers looked very comfortable, but that out in the last ball of the day certainly did not lift their spirits. But for England, that was certainly a big wicket.
