Bangladesh tighten grip Down Under

DARWIN, Australia (AP):

Bangladesh moved within sight of one of the biggest victories in their Test history after Australia stumbled to 161-4 and remained 67 runs behind at stumps on the third day of the opening Test yesterday.

Cameron Green (43 not out) and Alex Carey (19 not out) dug in to keep Australia afloat, but the hosts face a huge task to first erase the deficit and then build a competitive total to defend in the final innings. Bangladesh need six more wickets to secure their first Test victory in Australia and arguably the biggest win in their history in the format.

Resuming at 351-6, Mehidy Hasan Miraz calmly shepherded Bangladesh’s tail to another 75 runs, taking the visitors to 426 and extending their first-innings lead beyond 200 before returning to make the crucial breakthrough with the ball by removing Steve Smith late in the day.

Mehidy shared partnerships of 46 with Hasan Mahmud, 18 with Taijul Islam and then a useful 46-run stand with Taskin Ahmed before eventually falling for 65 from 154 balls.

Australia were again their own worst enemy with three more dropped catches yesterday, including an inexplicable miss by Smith in the deep, taking their tally to five in the match.

HAZLEWOOD’S 300

Josh Hazlewood claimed all four wickets to fall yesterday and returned figures of 6-89 from 28 overs in the innings. His dismissal of Mehidy for his fifth wicket was also his 300th in Test cricket, making him the fourth member of Australia’s famed pace attack to reach the milestone and the ninth Australian overall to do so.

Hazlewood then had Ebadot Hossein caught behind for seven to end the innings at 426, capping a strong return after 12 months out of the Test team because of injuries.

“From my point of view I think I bowled four out of six good balls a lot of the time and let things off in those other two,” Hazlewood said.

“I am still standing. That’s good. It was a pretty tough slog straight-up. Obviously the more matches you play the better you get through those longer spells.”

TOP-ORDER WOES REPEAT

Australia lost both openers cheaply before tea as Bangladesh tightened their grip on the match at Marrara Stadium.

Jake Weatherald (0) and Travis Head (17) both chopped on to paceman Hasan Mahmud while attempting cut shots too close to their stumps as Australia slid to 37-2.

The return took Mahmud’s match tally to eight wickets after his first-innings figures of 6-55 helped dismiss the hosts for 198 and set the tone for Bangladesh’s dominance over the past two days.

Marnus Labuschagne, also searching for runs after a lean spell, looked busy at the crease until he missed a straight ball from spinner Taijul Islam (1-28) and was bowled for 31 from 59 deliveries.

Australia’s hopes of salvaging the match rested on Smith’s shoulders, and the veteran looked composed as he characteristically accumulated runs with minimal risk.

The match swung further towards Bangladesh, however, when Mehidy (1-20) held a sharp return catch to dismiss Smith for 44, leaving Australia at 122-4 and still 106 runs in arrears.

“If we can bat deep into tomorrow and potentially the whole day there is always the opportunity to take 10 wickets on the final day,” Hazlewood said.

“Winning is still in our mind and always is.”

The largest first-innings deficit Australia have overcome to win a home Test was 206 runs against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2010.

The two-Test ‘Top End’ series begins a demanding 12-month schedule for Australia that includes 20 Test matches, with tours of South Africa, India and England among the highlights.