Australia went to lunch at 6-123 on day two of the first Test in Dhaka after Bangladesh claimed three more wickets in the morning session to be well on top in the contest.
Steve Smith was bowled for eight inside the first 15 minutes of the day as Australia's overnight predicament went from bad to worse, and despite a fighting partnership from Matthew Renshaw and Peter Handscomb, the resistance remained insufficient.
At the interval, Glenn Maxwell (eight) and Matthew Wade (five) were the not out batsmen. Bangladesh spinner Mehedi Hasan took the opening wicket, knocking over an advancing Smith as the Aussie skipper looked to whip the ball through a vacant midwicket.
The captain's wicket reduced the score to 4-33 after the visitors went to stumps on day one at 3-18, having earlier bowled out Bangladesh for 260 with a disciplined performance in oppressive heat and humidity.
Opener Renshaw (45) and middle-order man Handscomb (33) then each survived close lbw calls through another dramatic period of play.
Handsomb was given not out when he was late on one from Shakib Al Hasan and the ball thumped into his back pad, only for the bowler to strongly suggest a review to captain Mushfiqur Rahim.
Ball-tracking technology showed the ball to be missing leg stump and Handscomb, who had earlier got off the mark with a thumping cut shot from Shaiful Islam, lived to fight another day.
Soon after, Renshaw pushed forward and missed a straight one from Mehedi Hasan, however the batsman's decision to review umpire Aleem Dar's on-field call of 'out' proved a wise one, with technology again showing the ball to be missing the stumps, this time bouncing over.
Handscomb then took up the attack to the spinners, his weapon of choice the sweep shot, and he employed it effectively for more than an hour before again being trapped on the back pad, this time plumb in front from Taijul Islam.
Renshaw fell in the over before lunch, Shakib returning to the attack and striking first ball when the rangy Queenslander prodded and edged to Soumya Sarkar at first slip.
After stumps on day one, Nathan Lyon, who overtook Richie Benaud as the second-highest spin wicket-taker in Australian history on the way to snaring his 250th Test wicket, declared that the game remained in the balance.
"It's not ideal losing three wickets but that's the game," Lyon said on Sunday.
"You've got to give them credit, they batted well, they bowled well. Now it's our chance to fight back and really test ourselves in these conditions.
"We've got two very, very good batsmen (at the crease) ... we're just going to have to work hard, bat well and bat long in partnerships.
"There's no demons in that pitch as yet so it's a good opportunity for our batters."