Bangladesh take 128 runs lead

Bangladesh ended on 152 runs losing three wickets at the end of the second day at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. The host are in charge with a lead of 128 and seven wickets in hand.

Overall, England’s bowling in the last session of the day was poor, but the intensity of Bangladesh’s batting was in no small part to play for that.

After England recovered from a precarious 144 for 8 and took an unexpected 24-run lead in the first innings, Bangladesh’s batters played the Test in limited overs fashion to tilt the game towards them, despite a brainfreeze from Mahmudullah Riyad on the last ball of the day.

The star of the day was the young Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who scalped yet another six-wicket haul. The 19-year-old finished with figures of 6 for 82 and became only the second off-spinner in the history of Test cricket to take two five-wicket hauls in the first two Tests.

Bangladesh’s openers responded with a counterattack against the new ball, led by 40 from 47 by the irrepressible Tamim Iqbal, before two wickets in three balls caused another tremor.

Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah steadied the innings but England, mindful of the way Bangladesh plunged from 171 for 1 to 220 all out on the first day, will not have given up hope.