Tanzid Hasan posted his maiden century in just his second cricket Test to help guide Bangladesh to 351-6 at stumps Friday and into commanding position over top-ranked Australia after two days of the Top End series opener.
Tanzid raised his hundred with a single off Nathan Lyon from 188 deliveries but after a patient and resilient innings, he added just more run before he lofted a ball from the veteran Australian spinner to Mitchell Starc at long-off soon after.
He shared two big, important partnerships to set No. 9-ranked Bangladesh on course for a big first-inning lead, combining with Mominul Haque (49) in a 102-run second-wicket stand and 93 with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for the third.
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Shanto went on to score 84 from 126 deliveries before he was one of the three wickets to fall in a four-over period soon after the Australians took the second new ball.
Bangladesh resumed Friday at 96-1, 102 behind on the first innings after dismissing Australia for 198, and finished Day 2 with a 153-run lead and four wickets in hand.
In their first Test on Australian soil since 2003, the Bangladesh players were just as disciplined with the bat as they were with the ball on the opening day.
Just brilliant from Bangladesh!
Mehidy Hassan Miraz (32) and Hasan Mahmud (13) shared a 43-run unbroken partnership for the seventh wicket to get Bangladesh to stumps in the kind of position that few expected ahead of the series.
The reunion of Australia’s so-called Big Four — pacemen Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Starc and veteran off-spinner Lyon has so far been blunted by the visiting batters in the warm, tropical conditions of far north Australia.
The two-Test “Top End” series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 Test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.