An apparent brain freeze from Mahmudullah in the final ball has allowed England to end the second day on a high note after teenaged spin sensation Mehedi Hasan Miraz dazzled with his second successive six-wicket haul to put the Tigers in a good position in the last Test.
With Bangladesh looking strong on 152-2 in their second innings, Mahmudullah went for a sweep across the line off a full delivery from spinner Zafar Ansari and saw his stumps shattered on Saturday.
Building on a fluent start through a brisk opening stand, Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes (59 not out) made 82 for the third wicket to help Bangladesh edge ahead before the close of play at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
But the home crowd was stunned into silence by the 30-year-old veteran’s shocking shot selection three runs away from his half-century.
England players gathered in celebration before marching off the ground, though Bangladesh will resume the third day on a lead of 128 with seven wickets to spare.
Earlier, Miraz returned another six-wicket haul but could not deny England the lead after a superb late fightback by tailenders Chris Woakes and Abdur Rashid.
The tourists were bowled out for 244 before tea as Miraz (6-82) became the first Bangladesh bowler to record his second successive six-wicket haul in each of his first two Tests, after his 6-80 in the first innings of the Chittagong Test.
Joe Root (56) provided the English middle-order some stability with his first half-century of the tour before Woakes (46) and Rashid (44 not out) helped their team to scrape past Bangladesh’s first innings total.
Southpaw Taijul Islam took 3 for 63 and Shakib Al Hasan chipped in with a wicket for Bangladesh in the last Test of the series.
The momentum swung both ways through three fascinating sessions of play but it was the hosts who drew first blood in the morning.
After 13 wickets fell on the opening day, Miraz and Taijul had England on the ropes three overs into the day. The former went through the gates of Moeen Ali (10) before Taijul had Ben Stokes (10) caught at short leg to leave England struggling on 69-5.
Root and Jonny Bairstow (24) prevented the slide, however, adding 45 for the sixth wicket. But Shakib Al Hasan then bowled accurately to build pressure before Miraz reaped the results by trapping Bairstow in front with his first ball after returning to the attack.
Looking for a partner lower down the order, Root added 26 more with Zafar Ansari, who was given a reprieve on 0, but the debutant fell for 13 and became the fifth scalp of Miraz. England were under pressure on 140-7.
The 19-year-old offspinner became only the second offspinner after West Indies’ Sonny Ramadhin to take back-to-back five-wicket hauls in first two Tests.
With wickets England tumbling around him, Root, who was dropped on 19 off Taijul, seemed to be fighting a lone battle for England but his nimble footwork was a joy to watch as he gracefully stroked away for runs.
He smashed his first half-century of the tour on a surface that had further broken down, producing uneven bounce on the second day. Taijul broke Root’s resolve after the batsman misjudged the length to be rapped on the pad while on the backfoot before the teams went for lunch.
Although the morning session was most satisfactory for the Tigers, the afternoon was more toiling for the home side. The ball became softer and weariness took over the fingers of Mehedi and Taijul while Shakib Al Hasan was used more sparingly and was less threatening.
Woakes and Rashid then dug deep after the break and showed great commitment to drag England from the tough spot and deliver them a 24-run first innings lead.
Taijul thought he had his third when Woakes was given out caught behind but the batsman successfully reviewed to overturn the umpire’s decision with replays confirming there was no edge.
Mushfiqur Rahim also employed part-time legspinner in the attack and it nearly paid off. Woakes swatted a high full toss which was caught superbly at midwicket but much to the frustration of the home team, the beamer was adjudged a no-ball after a review.
The duo cropped up a decisive 99-run ninth wicket stand as Mushfiqur desperately kept searching for a breakthrough.
Their tenacity put paid to Bangladesh hopes of taking a first-inning advantage but Miraz once again came to Bangladesh’s rescue.
The second new ball bore fruit for Bangladesh as 19-year-old Miraz (6-82) dismissed Woakes to break the dogged stand. Taijul then picked up his third to wrap up England’s first before tea.
Tamim Iqbal and Kayes scooted away in a breezy start off the new ball as Bangladesh eased into the lead within six overs.
Having struck a scintillating 104 on the opening day, Tamim’s confidence was unmistakable as he rifled seven crisp boundaries in his 47-ball innings with exquisite timing. He and Kayes scored 65 for the first wicket.
But Ansari then snared the prized wicket of the in-form opener to record his maiden Test wicket. Tamim fell for 40 when he was cramped for room and forced to inside edge a catch to leg slip.
Mominul Haque perished off Ben Stokes next over for just 1 and memories of Bangladesh’s dramatic collapse resurfaced among the muted home crowd.
But Kayes and Mahmudullah began rebuilding and maintained a good run rate to power Bangladesh’s lead past 100.
Kayes had momentary lapses of concentration, lopping the ball up twice but surviving after they landed in no man’s land. He slowly gained composure, however, and banked on sweep shots, both reverse and traditional, to motor forward.
At the other end, Mahmudullah began confidently with two boundaries off Stokes and a sweep off Ansari. The duo looked comfortable against both pace and spin and they were often keen to free their arms whenever the bowlers offered room with short or full balls.
Kayes deftly ran a wider one from Rashid through third man to the ropes to reach his third Test half-century in style before dragging the legspinner outside offstump in front of square.
Mahmudullah looked watchful in the last over before his reckless slog left a bitter taste for Bangladesh in the last ball of the day.
On the opening day, Bangladesh imploded an astonishing collapse which saw the fall of nine wickets for just 49 runs. England offpsinner Moeen returned 5 for 59 and Stokes and Woakes exposed their reverse swing frailties.
Source: Bd news24
