After squeezing out a 260-run lead, Bangladesh pushed Pakistan on the back-foot and

with only Inzamam-ul Haq (53 not out) at the crease as the last specialist batsman and 113 to get, the Tigers are odds on favourites to create history in their 24th Test.

On a day when some horrendous umpiring decisions went against them, Bangladesh showed enough character to keep on fighting.

Resuming on 77 for four, the tourists lost captain Khaled Mahmud off the very first ball of the day when he was lbw to paceman Shabbir Ahmed.

In strode Alok Kapali, who had retired hurt on day two after being struck near the right eye by a Shabbir bouncer. Kapali added three runs to his overnight 19 before he was controversially taken by Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif behind stumps off debutant medium pacer Yasir Ali. However, TV replays showed that Latif had dropped the catch when he took a tumble. Surprisingly neither leg umpire Ashoka de Silva nor the other umpire Russell Tiffin managed to spot the fumble.

Next to go was the impressive Rajin Saleh who flashed outside the off-stump to Omar Gul and was caught behind for 42.

Umpire De Silva then adjudged Mohammad Rafique leg before to Shabbir when the ball clearly pitched out side the line of the leg stump.

A typically pugnacious 28 from wicket keeper Khaled Mashud and some lusty hitting from the tail gave Bangladesh a competitive lead which turned out to be a substantial one at the end of the day.

Left arm paceman Monjurul Islam, who went wicketless in the first innings, overcame the frustration of seeing two chances dropped off him and gave the much needed break through when he dismissed opener Salman Butt (37), brilliantly taken at gully by a diving Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza in his second attempt with the total on 45.

After the tea break, it was once again the Monjurul-Mashrafee combination that accounted for the wicket of the other opener Mohammad Hafeez (18) who was also caught at gully.

Mashrafee completed a hattrick of catches when in-form Pakistani Yasir Hameed gloved a Mahmud delivery that lifted from a length. Pakistan were 78 for three.

Three runs later, the Tigers were celebrating again after the dangerous Younis Khan was run out from a direct hit from mid on by Mohammad Ashraful.

Rafique dismissed Farhan Adil with a gem of a delivery that turned and took off before Pakistan had reached hundred.

Captain Latif (5) took 48 minutes and 34 balls to get of the mark. He was however undone by the tireless Mahmud who trapped him plump infront.

While wickets were falling like nine pins around him, Inzamam, the local hero, was standing like a wall. He duly completed his fifty by slashing Rafique for four.

Before bad light stopped play, Rafique was unlucky not to get another wicket as Tiffin gave Saqlain Mushtaq not out when he was hit on the pad off a dead-straight delivery.

Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud said after the day's play that there was still a lot of hard work to be done.

"We need to get another four wickets. It could have been better if we had scored another 20 to 30 runs. But again I think my team did a tremendous job today."

The usually guarded Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore looked sprightly and said that he was very confident that his boys would get a positive result when the match resumes on Saturday. The whole Bangladesh too is expecting nothing less.