Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 87 not out helped Bangladesh take an 81-run lead on Wednesday, ending fears of an innings defeat in the first cricket test against South Africa. The battling Mehidy Hasan Miraz led his side to 283-7 at stumps, which represented a comeback from 112-6 during a third day interrupted by rain and bad light. Nayeem Hasan was also unbeaten on 16.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz shared a record 138-run stand with debutant Jaker Ali, who made 58 as the hosts wiped out a first-innings deficit of 202. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is playing a knock of character in the third innings of Bangladesh’s ongoing first Test against South Africa in Mirpur.
He returned unbeaten on 87 at stumps on Day 3.During his stay, he became just the third player to score over 500 runs and take more than 30 wickets in a single ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The 26-year-old all-rounder joined England’s Ben Stokes and India’s Ravindra Jadeja in this elite list.
Day 3 : Morning Session : Mehidy Hasan Miraz , Jaker Ali lead Bangladesh’s fight but SA in command
An unbeaten 89-run stand between Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali helped Bangladesh reduce the deficit to 1 run after the hosts lost three early wickets on Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday,
South Africa made inroads quite early in the day striking thrice within the first half an hour of play. Kagiso Rabada dismissed the overnight batters – Mahmudul Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. The opener was the first to depart looking to slash at a delivery wide outside the offstump, only to get a thick edge to first slip. Two balls later, Rahim was cleaned up with an incoming delivery, much like he was dismissed in the first innings.
To add to Bangladesh’s miseries, less than three overs later, Keshav Maharaj’s away spinning delivery caught the outside edge of Litton Das’s bat on its way to the ‘keeper. Even as the on-field umpire didn’t notice the edge, the decision was overturned through a review, leaving Bangladesh down at 112 for 6, and a 90-run deficit still to clear.
As the partnership steadied, Mehidy Hasan Miraz stepped down the track and clubbed Dane Piedt down the ground for a six. He continued to use his feet even against Maharaj, slamming a couple of boundaries through the offside. Their scoring rate also picked up as the partnership flourished, leaving the South African bowlers with little answer.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who has been the highest run-getter as well as the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the ongoing WTC cycle, went on to notch up his ninth Test fifty and helped the hosts cross the 200-run mark in the second innings, and placed them in a position to avoid an innings defeat. But the day had started horribly for Bangladesh, who lost three wickets in the first 30 minutes of play, with a Test to save.
Kagiso Rabada had removed both of Bangladesh’s overnight batters Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim by the fourth over of the day. Mahmudul edged a wide one, giving first slip an easy catch after making 40. Rabada then blew away Mushfiqur’s middle stump later in the over with a delivery that was similar to his dismissal of the same batter in the first innings; while Mushfiqur lost two stumps on the first day, this time it was the middle pole which came off.
When Litton Das was caught behind off Keshav Maharaj shortly afterwards, Bangladesh slipped to 112 for 6, and were in danger of an innings defeat on the third day. Mehidy and Jaker then stepped in, battling through a tough first session, and helping Bangladesh go past South Africa’s 202-run first-innings lead.
Jaker, who played second fiddle to Mehidy Hasan Miraz , struck the ball nicely through the covers. He pinched two fours through fine leg too, one of them getting him to a half-century. Jaker hammered Rabada with a confident pull shot too. He also took three fours off Rabada, twice through the off side and once through a pull.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, meanwhile, was mainly effective against Maharaj, hitting him for four boundaries through the covers – sometimes even lofted ones, but mostly along the ground. He generally handled spin well, as Bangladesh got within one run of South Africa’s lead at lunch.
Day 3 : Post Lunch Session : Mehidy Hasan Miraz , Jaker keep Bangladesh afloat on rain-hit day
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali’s 138-run stand for the seventh wicket paved the way for Bangladesh to clear the first innings deficit and head to stumps at 283 for 7 in a rain-marred Day 3 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. The hosts now hold an 81-run lead with Mehidy still unbeaten on 87.
The day had started on a poor note for Bangladesh, with the hosts losing three batters within the first half an hour of play, leaving the visitors with only the tail to wipe out and a 90-run lead still to cover from the first innings. Kagiso Rabada had dismissed both the overnight batters – Mahmudul Hasan slashing at a delivery outside off and getting caught at slip, while Mushfiqur Rahim was cleaned up with an incoming delivery for the second time in the Test. Soon enough, Keshav Maharaj induced an outside edge to the ‘keeper to send Litton Das back.
However, what seemed a mere formality for the South Africans thereafter, proved quite challenging with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker putting their batting skills to display and offering a solid resistance. The duo nearly wiped out the deficit by Lunch with their calculated aggression against spin and pace alike, and then continued to keep the South Africans at bay for a while post Lunch, and even had them exhaust all their reviews.
Only five overs of play were possible after Tea, a period in which Bangladesh managed to add 16 runs to their total, before stumps was called due to poor light. Mehidy had started by stepping out against Aiden Markram and hitting over the in-field for a boundary, but the duo relied on singles and twos thereafter to stretch the eighth wicket partnership to 33 runs.
An hour into the second session, rain stopped play for 78 minutes. Before the rain break, Jaker reached had his maiden Test fifty. He fell lbw to Maharaj after getting beaten trying to turn the ball on the leg side. The umpire gave it out despite a casual appeal from the visitors, but replays showed it was the correct decision. Jaker struck seven fours in his 111-ball stay.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was Bangladesh’s savior on the day with his fourth half-century this year, once again saving the team’s blushes from a difficult position. They were 112 for 6, from where Mehidy and Jaker added 138 runs for the seventh wicket. It is Bangladesh’s third century stand from the seventh wicket in their last five Tests.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck nine fours and a six in his 171-ball stay on the third day, batting confidently enough to pass some of that confidence to Jaker, who had got only 2 in the first innings.
With his latest knock, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has raced past 1,750 runs in 48 Tests at an average of 22-plusThis was his 10th 50-plus score in Bangladesh whites as Mehidy Hasan Miraz is approaching his second Test ton. Against SA, he has gone past 180 runs across four matches at 30-plus.With the ball, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has scalped 185 Test wickets at 32.55.
Bad light forced the third day’s play of the Dhaka Test to be called off at 4pm local time, an hour before the scheduled end of the day. Bangladesh fought back in the game and now lead by 81 runs, with South Africa still short of three wickets. The hosts ended the day on 283 for 7, thanks mainly to half-centuries from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the debutant Jaker Ali.
Play was stopped at 3.17pm after 17 minutes of play under floodlights at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. There was earlier a 78-minute stoppage due to rain from 1.42pm onwards. This is unseasonal rain in Bangladesh due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, which is forecast to turn into a cyclone on Wednesday.
Road Ahead on Day 4 for Bangladesh and South Africa
Play has been called off due to bad light. Only 57.5 overs of play was possible today. There will be a 15-minute early start (9.45am local time) again tomorrow to make up for lost time. Bangladesh were trailing by 101 runs at the start of today’s play and were pushed further on the back foot as they lost three early wickets. Rabada continued to be on song as he sent Mahmudul and Mushfiqur packing in a space of three balls.
Soon after, Maharaj outsmarted Litton with one that gripped and turned. At 112/6, the hosts were in dire straits but, Mehidy Hasan and Jaker Ali (on his Test debut) displayed compact technique and also capitalized on the loose balls. The ball was turning and gripping but they continued to bat with solidity. The duo stitched 138 for the 7th wicket as they took their side into the lead from an unlikely position. Jaker Ali struck his maiden Test fifty but was deceived by Maharaj soon after.
Rain played spoilsport and early tea was taken. After resumption, only 5 overs of play was possible before bad light forced the players off again. The light didn’t improve and the umpires had to call it a day. Bangladesh only lead by 81 runs and only have three wickets in hand. Mehidy is still going strong but he has a big task going ahead as he will have to shepherd the tail-enders.
If Bangladesh manage to set a target of around 150, things could get interesting on this spicy pitch. But for that to happen, the weather gods have to be kind. The forecast shows more rain in the next two days but let’s hope there’s enough time in hand for this Test to come to a conclusion.