Tigers fighting

The Chittagong wicket has flattered to deceive on the opening day of the second Test yesterday. It was not a virtual dust-bowl as it was when Bangladesh played against England about a year ago. It was a nightmare for pace bowlers and more importantly hardly assisted the spinners.

So when Bangladesh, leading the two-match series 1-0, won the most-important toss and elected to bat against Australia at this purpose-built venue in the port city, plenty of runs were on the cards. The Tigers finished the day on 253-6 – a score certainly below-par considering the benign nature of the wicket, where the ball did not turn that much and offered little bounce.
But if you take into account of what one Nathan Lyon has done – the off-spinner picked up his third five-for in successive Tests – the scoreline at the end of the day was more than what the home side would have bargained for. Five wickets down for 117 inside one hour after the lunch break, the Tigers staged a spectacular turnaround in the form of a 105-run sixth-wicket stand between Sabbir Rahman and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim after Lyon exploits.

However, despite Lyon's fantastic feat, the day could have belonged to the home side had Sabbir not got stumped to an innocuous delivery with only a few overs remaining. The dashing right-hander, who made his Test debut at this very ground against England last year, was caught overbalanced while attempting to pull a wide delivery down the leg-side from Lyon. And it needed a smart work from Aussie wicket-keeper Mathew Wade, who whipped the bails in a flash that ended the right-hander's solid knock of 66, his highest score, off 116 balls including six fours and a six.

Until Sabbir got out in a painful fashion, he played the role of aggressor with Mushfiqur providing solidity at the other end. The pair consolidated in the post tea session with a lot of maturity and patience with Sabbir refusing to compromise his natural game, latching on to the deliveries offered to hit. His first boundary of the innings against Lyon through extra cover was a treat to watch. He was also not afraid of taking the aerial route whenever width was offered.