One-off Test: All-round Bangladesh add to Afghanistan's agony
Bangladesh have further pushed Afghanistan on the back foot in the ongoing one-off Test. Day 3 of the contest saw the Tigers losing just three wickets and adding 291 runs to their total. They declared their second innings at 425/4, setting a target of 662 for the visitors. Afghanistan were 45/2 at stumps and they are chasing history. Here we revisit the day's play.
How did the day pan out?
The Tigers resumed at their overnight score of 134/1. While Zakir Hasan got run out for 71, Najmul Hossain Shanto (124) slammed his second century of the match. Mominul Haque (121*) was the other centurion on the day as he and Litton Das (66*) added to Afghanistan's agony. Afghanistan, who managed just 146 in their first innings, lost two early wickets in their chase.
Twin centuries for Shanto
Shanto backed his 175-ball 146 from the first innings with another terrific ton. The southpaw became only the second Bangladesh batter to accomplish twin tons in a Test. He joined former captain Mominul, who recorded scores worth 176 and 105 in the 2018 Chittagong Test against Sri Lanka. The batter ended up scoring 124 off 151 balls (15 fours).
A fine fifty from Hasan
Hasan, who could only manage a two-ball one in Bangladesh's first innings, redeemed himself with a fine knock. The batter, who resumed at his overnight score of 54, batted with aggression and ended up scoring a 95-ball 71. He added 173 runs for the second wicket alongside Shanto. The batter missed out on his second Test ton as he got run out.
12th Test ton for Mominul
Mominul smashed his 12th century in Test cricket and a maiden one since April 2021. The southpaw remained unbeaten on 121 off 145 balls, a knock laced with 12 boundaries and a six. He was involved in 80-plus stands with centurion Shanto and skipper Litton. Notably, Mominul's tally of 12 Test tons is the most for a Bangladesh batter.
Fifty on Test captaincy debut
The game marked Litton Das's Test captaincy debut and the batter celebrated with an unbeaten 66 off just 81 balls in Bangladesh's second innings. His knock was laced with eight boundaries. He smoked his 16th half-century in the format and a maiden one against Afghanistan. Litton is only the 12th player to lead Bangladesh in a Men's Test.
Bangladesh script history with power-packed performance
Bangladesh scored runs at 5.31 in the second innings. This is Bangladesh's highest and overall, the fifth-highest run rate in a Test innings where at least 400 runs were scored. England are the only team with a six-plus run rate on this list. As the Brits have accomplished the feat twice, they own the top-two spot on this list.
Another tiring day for Afghanistan bowlers
There was no hiding for Afghanistan bowlers as Rashid Khan's absence evidently hurt them. Though Zahir Khan (2/112) was the pick of their bowlers, he conceded runs at 4.9 in the innings. In fact, none of the Afghan bowlers, who delivered at least five overs in the innings, had an economy rate fewer than 4.5. The same highlights their agony.
Poor start to the chase
Chasing the mountainous total, the visitors were off to a poor start with Ibrahim Zadran (0) and Abdul Malik (5) perishing cheaply. Moreover, their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (13*) got retired hurt after getting smashed on the helmet by a short delivery. Nasir Jamal (5*) and Rahmat Shah (10*) are the two unbeaten batters at the moment. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were the wicket-takers.
