
DHAKA : Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim struck his maiden century as Bangladesh tightened their grip on the first Test against Australia, with a powerful batting display at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin today.
Tanzid hit a sublime 101 off 197 while captain Najmul
Hossain Shanto added 84, leading Bangladesh to a 351-6 at stumps on Day 2.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was batting on 32 with Hasan Mahmud on
13 as Bangladesh ended the day with a 153-run lead. Hasan earlier on Day 1
claimed 6-55 to bowl Australia out for 198.
Resuming the day 96-1, Bangladesh ruined Australia’s hope
to take the advantage of the early moisture of the wicket in morning session
with Tanzid and Mominul Haque, the two overnight batters playing sensibly
against a vaunted Aussie pace attack.
Tanzid and Mominul shared a 102-run partnership for the
second wicket before the latter was dismissed for 49. The stand fell just short
of Bangladesh’s highest second-wicket partnership in Australia - the 108 runs
between Habibul Bashar and Hannan Sarkar in Cairns in 2003.
With the pitch easing to bat on after the first hour of
the morning session, Tanzid unfurled some powerful strokes to make the Aussie
pace attack disarray.
However, Australia got the first breakthrough of the day
when Josh Hazlewood dismissed Mominul Haque as the batter was just one shy of
his half-century.
Tanzid continued dominating the attack to help Bangladesh
go past the Australian first innings total.
Tanzid, playing only his second Test, showed unwavering
resolve throughout his innings. He reached his first fifty from 102 balls, with
five fours, before accelerating to his second fifty in just 86 balls, adding
three more boundaries and a six.
He completed the milestone in the 64th over
when he pushed off-spinner Nathan Lyon towards long-on for a single. By doing
so, he became the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test century on Australian
soil.
A moment of madness cost Tanzid’s wicket as he holed out
Lyon to long-off, ending a brilliant knock that made him only the second Asian
batter after Pakistan great Hanif Mohammad to hit a century on Australian soil
in his maiden Test innings.
Tanzid’s dismissal brought an end to the 93-run third
wicket partnership between him and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto but Australia
agony was not abated.
Shanto and seasoned campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim further put
the mighty hosts on sword, adding 66 runs which was only broken when Hazlewood
got the better of Shanto, denying him a century.
The last session brought some relief for a tired
Australian pace attack when they removed Mushfiqur and Liton Das in quick
succession, indicating to claw back into the contest.
But the partnership of Miraz and Hasan restored Bangladesh’s
control, keeping the side firmly on course of a historical victory on
Australian soil.
Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc took two wickets apiece while captain Cummins and Lyon picked up one each.