While stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto stole the show with his fifth Test ton, experienced campaigner Mominul Haque impacted both with the bat and ball on Day 3 of Bangladesh’s first Test against New Zealand in Sylhet yesterday. Having wrapped up the Kiwi innings with two wickets in the only over he bowled, Mominul starred in a crucial 90-run stand with Shanto before being run out. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
With a lead of 205 runs on the board, two set batters in the middle, and seven wickets in hand, Bangladesh find themselves in the driving seat against New Zealand three days into the Sylhet Test — a rare occurrence in red-ball cricket for the Tigers.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is unbeaten on 104 with veteran Mushfiqur Rahim batting on 43 as the Tigers have an ideal platform to set a daunting target for the visitors.
However, for that to happen, Bangladesh would have to avoid the one thing they have been guilty of doing throughout this Test — squandering chances to take control of the contest.
In their first innings with the bat, the Tigers at one point were positioned at 180-2, seemingly on their way to a commanding first innings total.
But after Bangladesh lost set batters Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul in consecutive overs, the momentum of the innings shifted and they were eventually bundled out for 310.
This trend continued in their bowling innings as well, as they first dropped Kane Williamson twice, who went on to score a ton, and also conceded 52 runs for the final two wickets, which cost them a chance to earn a slim first innings lead.
A captain’s knock from Shanto, where he formed a 90-run stand with Mominul and then an unbeaten 96-run partnership with Mushfiqur, helped the hosts return to a position of power by the end of the third day.
But their job is far from over considering how well the pitch at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium held up yesterday.
Bangladesh now need to pile up as many runs as possible and also bat deep into the fourth day with hopes that the pitch would eventually deteriorate, to allow their three-spin attack to come into the match.
“I feel that the wicket is still good for batting. It’s difficult for me to say, it [safe total] could be 400, it could even be 350. It all depends on what happens tomorrow [today]. On the fourth day, the pitch could act differently,” said Mominul at the post-day press conference in Sylhet yesterday.
The visitors, on the other hand, are hoping for a repeat of what had happened the previous innings and bundle out Bangladesh for a gettable target.
“So, we get a couple early tomorrow [today], we sort of show that we could take wickets in clunks through the first innings and we could knock over the lower order pretty cheaply. So, if we get a couple early, then we’ll go about setting a decent total for our guys to chase,” said Kiwi pacer Kyle Jamieson.
