Bangladesh tighten screws over Australia in Dhaka Test

Bangladesh tightened their grip in the ongoing first Test of the two-match series against Australia after securing an 88-run lead on Day Two here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday.

After bowling out Australia for 217 in their first innings, Bangladesh were 45-1 at the close of play, with Tamim Iqbal and Taijul Islam batting at the crease of 30* and 0* respectively.

It would have been a big advantage for the hosts to go no loss into Day 3 hadn't been for that brain-fade moment from Soumya Sarkar (15) in the penultimate over of the day.

Sarkar strangely attempted to belt Aston Agar back over his head and in the process lost his wicket, thus giving visitors a sigh of relief towards the end of the day's play.

Earlier, starting the day at 18-3, the visitors lost the wicket of skipper Steve Smith very early in the session. Also, Test newcomers Matthew Renshaw (45), Peter Handscomb (33) and Glenn Maxwell (23) all missed chances to put the visitors in command.

A 49-run partnership for the ninth-wicket between Agar (41 *) and Pat Cummins (25) rescued the visitors after they lost their three most experienced batsmen 12 overs into their first innings.

For Bangladesh, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, playing 50th Test, claimed his 16th career five-wicket haul and helped his side on course of a dramatic victory against Australia.

Shakib, who contributed with a valuable 85-run knock in Bangladesh's first inning, now has five-fers against every other Test-playing nation.

Besides the all-rounder, teenage sensation Mehedi Hasan also scalped three for 62. In fact, the teenage sensation was the one, who made the second day's initial and most important breakthrough-that of Smith.

With wicket deteriorating at such a brisk rate, the hosts would be eyeing to set anything above 300 as a target for the visitors and then apply pressure with their spin attack.