Australia secure 7-wicket win despite brilliant effort from BD bowlers

Bangladesh bowlers fought hard as they picked up three quick wickets. However, Australia chased down easily without losing more wickets and leveled the series.

Bangladesh ended the 2nd innings collecting just 157 runs. Australia now need 86 runs to win the match and also to level the series .

Soumya Sarker, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque and Nasir Hossain have been taken out early in the morning.

Nathan Lyon, in the bowling rhythm of his life, led Australia’s bold push for victory over Bangladesh on a dramatic fourth morning of the second Test in Chittagong.

Mushfiq, Mominul and Miraz battled hard to extend the lead but fell short of Aussie attack led by Nathan Lyon.

Including Lyon’s own exit as Australia’s last man, no fewer than six wickets fell on a pitch that appeared to gather pace and bounce in addition to the increasing amounts of turn being wrought from deepening footmarks. Mustafizur Rahman and Pat Cummins both gained useful lift, but it was Lyon who sent Bangladesh’s top order tumbling with offspin of the highest quality.

His current wickets tally of 19 is the highest by an Australian bowler in a two-match series, with the possibility of more to come in the afternoon. The hosts were at least able to forge into a slender lead through a fledgling stand between the captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman, as the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe also created problems for the batsmen.

Bangladesh need only a draw to claim their first-ever series win over Australia and only the fourth in their 17-year Test history, but there is now plenty of time for a result. Victory for Steven Smith’s side would prevent Australia from sinking to sixth in Test rankings.

Australians lost their last wicket without adding to their overnight score when play resumed half an hour early due to Wednesday’s showers, Lyon snicking Mustafizur with plenty of carry through to the slips. Cummins was likewise able to get plenty of vertical assistance when he took the new ball, while Lyon started up his spell from the other end.

Soumya Sarkar did not last long, edging a well-directed Cummins delivery from around the wicket to Matt Renshaw at a comfortable height at first slip. Tamim Iqbal seemed intent on taking the attack to Lyon, but misjudged his opponent’s flight, dip and spin to find himself stranded down the wicket as the ball turned past him. Matthew Wade still had plenty to do as the ball bounced high, but gloved it cleanly and completed an excellent stumping.

Only five more runs had been added when Imrul Kayes was confounded by a Lyon delivery that turned, bounced and also held in the pitch, resulting in an ineffectual forcing stroke that spooned gently to Glenn Maxwell at cover. Australian celebrations grew still more triumphant when Shakib Al Hasan was unable to cover Lyon’s overspin and bounce, the ball flying from the shoulder of the bat into the hands of a helmeted David Warner at second slip.

At the other end Nasir Hossain seemed intent on driving anything O’Keefe tossed up – despite plenty of turn – before a straighter delivery also jumped and flew off an edge high on the bat to Smith at slip. O’Keefe had clearly not forgotten Hossain’s mimic of Nigel Llong’s raised finger to dismiss Cummins the night before, offering the “shhh” gesture to the vanquished batsman.

At that point Bangladesh were 43 for five and still 29 runs in deficit. But Mushfiqur and Sabbir were able to staunch some of the bleeding, helped by a successful appeal against a Llong lbw verdict from O’Keefe’s bowling due to an inside edge, then next ball a decidedly optimistic review of another lbw appeal that was found to be well outside the line. Tensions were high between both sides, leading the umpire Ian Gould to counsel Mushfiqur to cool down in the final over of a hectic morning.

Source: The Daily Ittefaq