Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and the two different Test results in a space of hours – West Indies defeating England by five wickets and Bangladesh winning their first Test against Australia – has induced a spark into the game.
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“It feels great to contribute for the team”.
Resuming on 109-2, Warner batted with calculated aggression, while Smith was content to play second fiddle as they continued the good work they had started on Tuesday evening with some generous assistance from Lady Luck.
Having lost nine of their first innings wickets to spin – the other, Usman Khawaja, was run out – Australia face a Herculean task of batting in the fourth innings on a worn-out track where some deliveries have been virtually unplayable. “A great effort by the boys, especially Shakib and Tamim were outstanding”, Mushfiqur said at the post-match presentation.
Australia bowled out Bangladesh for 260 and then suffered a spectacular top-order collapse of their own to leave them reeling at 18 for three after the spin-dominated opening day of the first Test yesterday. He gave us a reminder of his class with a magnificent performance in the battle against Australia. Shakib was also adjudged the Man of the Match for his 10-wicket haul in the entire match.
By the end of the session, Shakib had four wickets to add from his five from the first innings, as well as his 84 runs from the first day.
He survived a scare, too, with Bangladesh convinced they had the left-hander caught behind when attempting a sweep on 98.
With the 20-run win, Bangladesh take a 1-0 series lead.
Replays suggested the ball had brushed Tamim’s gloves, ending a fine innings which included eight fours to follow his 71 in the first innings. “Hopefully we’ll come harder at them in the next test and hopefully we’ll seal the series”.
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On a pitch that has produced bounce and turn that caused England problems past year, Al Hasan and Nathan Lyon have taken full advantage to create chaos for the batsmen with combined figures of 17-257 with their spin. He struck two huge sixes but Taijul Islam got the wicket of tailender and an injured Josh Hazlewood to wrap up the proceedings and avoid any twists in the story.
