Ctg Test on a knife-edge
A fantastic advertisement for Test cricket awaits a gripping conclusion after the fourth day of the first Test yesterday ended in fading natural light with Bangladesh needing 33 runs and England needing two wickets. The floodlights of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium were not enough to sustain the high drama unfolding in the port city as debutant Sabbir Rahman, batting on 59, and tailender Taijul Islam defied the visitors with all the resilience they could muster.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad said after the day's play that Test cricket is all about character, and there was plenty of that on display from both sides on a see-sawing day of Test cricket which a crowd filling up a fourth of the stadium were privileged to witness.
Bangladesh, winner of a grand total of seven Tests out of 93, were not given much of a chance to chase 286 after they had dismissed England for 240, with 4.2 overs bowled in the morning where England added just 12 runs to their overnight score. It was also only the ninth time that Bangladesh had taken 20 wickets in a Test.
After all, the Tigers had only twice previously successfully chased a total in the fourth innings of a Test, and even then it was a chase of 215 against a depleted West Indies side in 2009.
The skill and character shown in recovering from the loss of Shakib Al Hasan -- who became the fifth wicket when a Moeen Ali delivery took the edge of his defensive bat -- in the afternoon session with Bangladesh still 146 runs adrift and only debutants and bowlers to follow, is not only impressive but downright remarkable given that this is the first Test the Tigers are playing in nearly 15 months. In this regard, as impressive as Sabbir has been, no one was more instrumental than skipper Mushfiqur Rahim.
On a pitch that has now become more dust than dirt, Mushfiqur played out 124 deliveries against an attack that had sharp spin, reverse swing and pace bowlers capable of knocking heads off. The innings of 39 will go down as one of his most virtuoso displays, but his contribution went beyond the runs he scored. He guided talented debutant Sabbir through the early stages, giving him the courage to give free rein of his attacking instincts against the spinners while being careful against the pacers on a pitch that had surprises in store.
This guidance eventually proved priceless as an hour and a quarter after tea Mushfiqur himself fell prey to a Gareth Batty delivery that reared up from a yard in front of the batsman to his chest which he was blameless in fending to short leg, and he departed with hunched shoulders with Bangladesh on 227 for six, still 59 runs away from glory.
But this was not the Bangladesh that would just fold. Sabbir had imbibed his lesson from his captain and carried on in a serene manner even as fellow debutants Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Kamrul Islam came and went for the addition of 11 more runs. Miraz left in a near action replay of his first innings dismissal, playing across the line to Broad to be trapped in front in the 71st over, while Rabbi deflected an incoming delivery onto his pads on way to the hands of the short leg fielder off the paceman's next over.
Taijul, after being dropped by Ben Stokes off Batty at gully in the 76th over, looked increasingly assured by the end of the day, even hitting a down-the-track four over mid-on off Batty in what turned out to be the last over of the day.
The day had started with Broad being found well short of his crease in the second over of the morning as he and Chris Woakes decided on a risky run after the latter played Shakib to gully. In the next over, the 79th, Taijul picked up his second wicket, hitting last man Batty low on his front pad with bat close by. The decision of dismissal was reviewed, the 20th of 24 reviews for the match, but the decision stood.
Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes then put on 35 for the first wicket, the highest opening stand of a match in which the new ball has been synonymous with wickets. Tamim stuck around 33 deliveries for his nine before being caught off bat and pad at short leg off Ali a ball after he was given out caught by a stumbling take off his toes at slip by Joe Root, only for the review to show that the ball had missed everything.
Imrul, seemingly given the responsibility to keep the scoreboard ticking, swept his way to 43 off 61 before being caught at slip sweeping one too many with the score on 81. Mahmudullah Riyad and Mominul Haque then took the team to lunch. Mominul played resolutely for his 27 which was punctuated by four classy boundaries before being out leg-before trying to sweep Batty after lunch. Riyad, who looked edgy throughout his 36-ball 17, then played across the line to Batty to be plumb in front and walk off with Bangladesh at 108 for four.
Shakib batted well for his 24, which included a six off Adil Rashid over long on, but he was soon undone by an unplayable delivery.