Bangladesh in batting trouble on third day of Sylhet Test, Hridoy fights on with a fifty
Bangladesh have fallen into a batting collapse at the start of the third day of the Sylhet Test. The hosts have lost six wickets and are in trouble, but Towhid Hridoy is fighting alone.
Bangladesh began the third day's play on 88 for three. Hridoy resumed on 29 and Mushfiqur Rahim on 19.
The day had started well for Bangladesh through the two of them. But just as he was batting well, Mushfiqur was suddenly out. The experienced batter was caught by Brandon King at short cover off Jomel Warrican.
Mushfiqur departed for 34, breaking his 73-run partnership with Hridoy.
Litton Das arrived at the crease and hinted at something special with two fours. But he soon became Warrican's second victim and walked back to the pavilion. Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket on 138.
Hridoy then tried to build resistance with Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Miraz fell to a fine catch by Justin Greaves off Roston Chase, breaking a 41-run stand.
Hasan joined Hridoy at the seventh wicket. After his first fifty in Test cricket, Hridoy has raised hopes of a century.
Hridoy had come under heavy criticism after getting out to poor shots in both innings of the Mirpur Test, and questions were even raised about whether he belonged in Test cricket. But his fifty in the Sylhet Test has silenced all that criticism.
At the end of the second day, Bangladesh were 268 runs behind West Indies. Losing wickets early on the third day has made the task of closing that gap even harder for the hosts.
With the ball, Hasan Mahmud has been superb. He has taken six wickets against West Indies in Sylhet, and his bowling has impressed commentator Ian Bishop.
His pace is nothing extraordinary, but his line and length are impeccable — and with bowling like that, Bangladesh's star pacer is adept at dismantling the opposition batting line-up.
