Tigers fight back but Aus still on top
Bangladesh produced a fightback in the last session of the rain-curtailed third day by taking five wickets, but Australia are still comfortably in the driving seat as they finished the day 72 runs ahead in the first innings on a pitch that is showing signs of wear and tear.
Australia ended the third day of the second Test on 377 for nine in response to Bangladesh's total of 305 all out. It could have been better and it might well have been worse for Bangladesh; on the one hand they did take seven Australian wickets for 150 runs and minimised the damage after Australia resumed the day on a formidable 225 for two, but the damage control could have been even more effective had Mehedi Hasan Miraz latched on to the edge at gully offered by Glenn Maxwell on his way to 38 valuable runs. With a substantial lead, Australia will now fancy their chances of levelling the series by keeping, despite likely having to bat last on a wearing pitch.
It was however David Warner who once again toiled and succeeded in giving Australia the definitive advantage as he shepherded the team past Bangladesh's total. On the way Warner reached his 20th Test hundred and second in as many as innings after his second-innings century in Mirpur.
In the last session, Bangladesh claimed four wickets for 56 runs through the efforts of Birthday boy Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was first to go with the score on 342 for six, trapped in front by a full, incoming delivery from Mustafizur. Wade reviewed the decision, but replays showed that it was a pretty straightforward dismissal.
Four runs later Maxwell, who was dropped on 10 off Mustafizur, was dismissed by a diving catch by keeper Mushfiqur Rahim after the ball went off his bat and pad off Mehedi's bowling. Pat Cummins and Ashton Agar carried the score to 364 when Mehedi got one to turn back in sharply and hit an unsuspecting Cummins on the pads as the right-hander shouldered arms. Nigel Llong turned down the appeal, but Mushfiqur reviewed, and the ball was shown to be crashing into off stump, so the decision was overturned.
More catch-drop drama followed as Soumya Sarkar dropped the sitter of sitters at slip when Agar edged Shakib with the score on 374 for eight. Fortunately for Bangladesh, two runs later Shakib produced a beautiful finger-spinner's delivery that drifted away from the left-handed Agar, invited the drive and spat straight through the gap to hit timber and leave Australia at 376 for nine. There was just one more over of action as the umpires decided the light at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was too low to continue.
Earlier, Australia had forged a lead of 16 runs at tea, which began around 35 minutes later than the normal time for the session to start after the first session was lost to rain. Warner scored 123 off 237 deliveries before falling to Mustafizur Rahman as the visitors went to tea at 321 for five.
The other overnight batsman, Peter Handscomb, fell 18 runs short of his second ton as he was removed by a sharp run-out by Shakib Al Hasan while Hilton Cartright was dismissed for 18 by Mehedi Hasan Miraz at the stroke of Tea.
Play started two-and-a-half hours later than scheduled due to heavy rain, and it resumed on a similar note to what the second day had ended on, with the Australians hardly facing trouble piling on the runs.
Both overnight batsmen looked good for centuries, but a smart effort from Shakib at square-leg found Handscomb short of his crease as the first breakthrough of the day brought a check in the scoring rate and some respite to the hosts.
Glenn Maxwell, the next one in, looked the most unconvincing of the Aussie batters, and should have been sent back on 10 when he edged one off Mustafizur to gully – the simplest of chances, but Mehedi Hasan failed to hold on to it.
Mustafizur, on his 22nd birthday, bowled mixed bag, with a few well-directed bouncers and cutters and some wayward ones. However, he had the biggest scalp of the day as he forced his Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Warner mistime a bouncer on to leg gully, where Imrul Kayes, on third attempt, held on to a sharp catch.
Australia were still seven runs short of Bangladesh's first innings total of 305, but young Hilton Cartright provided the power and aggression to see his side past that total into the lead before falling to Mehedi on the stroke of Tea. Maxwell was batting on 25.