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Bangladesh tightened their grip on the first Test in Darwin on day two, batting with real authority to reach 181 for 2 at lunch and trail Australia by just 17 runs. The star of the morning was opener Tanzid Hasan, who produced the highest score ever by a Bangladesh batter on Australian soil, an unbeaten 82 that has put the Tigers firmly in control of a Test they have dominated from the very first ball.
A morning of quiet dominance
Bangladesh began the second day at 96 for 1, already ahead of the game after Hasan Mahmud’s six wicket haul skittled Australia for 198. The question was whether the top order could build a lead, and the answer was emphatic.
Tanzid Hasan and Mominul Haque batted with patience and purpose, rotating the strike and punishing anything loose. The pair added 102 for the second wicket, and at one stage Bangladesh were cruising at 138 for 1, within sight of Australia’s total.
Mominul looked set for a well deserved half century before Josh Hazlewood struck, drawing a thin edge through to Alex Carey to dismiss him for 49. It was Australia’s first success of the day, but by then Bangladesh had already done the hard work.
Tanzid’s record breaking knock
Tanzid Hasan was the centrepiece of the morning session. He brought up his half century with composure, then took the attack to Australia in a manner that has rarely been seen from a Bangladesh batter in these conditions.
He cleared the ropes for his maiden six in Test cricket, sashaying down the track to loft Beau Webster over long off, and later climbed into a wide half volley from Hazlewood, scorching it through extra cover to reach 82 and set a new benchmark for Bangladesh batters in Australia.
The 50 run partnership with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came from just 74 balls, a sign of how comfortably the Tigers were scoring. Shanto himself looked assured, driving Cummins through the covers and dabbing cleverly around the corner as Bangladesh moved into the lead.
Australia’s attack looks flat
For Australia, the morning was a frustrating one. Hazlewood probed around the wicket but found little help, while Nathan Lyon landed the ball in good areas without generating turn. Pat Cummins briefly unsettled Shanto with a short ball, but the wicket of Mominul was the only reward in a session where Bangladesh scored at a healthy rate.
Australia’s problems were summed up by the ease with which Bangladesh negotiated the new ball, a period where the hosts had hoped to hit back after their first innings collapse.
The bigger picture
The significance of Bangladesh’s position is hard to overstate. To bowl Australia out for 198, and then bat past that total with eight wickets in hand, is a performance of genuine authority in conditions that were supposed to favour the home side.
If Bangladesh can push on after lunch and build a substantial first innings lead, they will hold a commanding position in a Test that could deliver one of the most memorable results in their history. The dream start of day one has become something more on day two. Now the Tigers must finish the job.
