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79th over: Bangladesh 288-3 (Shanto 80, Mushfiqur 27) Oh, good grief. We’re starting after tea with the Labuschagne bouncer plan. That represents a team out of ideas. Australia’s first drop is thumping in medium pace halfway down the deck and hoping the batters do something stupid. Is that the best option straight off a break? You decide.
Two singles from it, Bangladesh lead by 90.
“I’ll say what we’re all thinking,” writes Rowan Sweeney. “I feel lucky to have the privilege of watching this Bangladesh side play cricket.”
Can’t tell if that’s genuine or a dig at England, but either will do. Plenty of digs possible at Australia, who need a withering new-ball burst to stay in this game. What a sentence to write. Darwin!
Just before stumps last night I had this email from Nick Inatey.
“Has there been another time since Boxing Day 2010 when England bowled Australia out for double digits and then ended the day 0/157 that Australia have been so outplayed by an opposition on day 1?”
And I think the answer is… no? Extend that to five sessions and it might be yes. To explain, in order to assess a team as having been dominated, they need to have batted and bowled. Having the visitors bat first for five sessions and rack up a big score doesn’t mean that the home side won’t respond in kind, so you need to have seen both disciplines.
Which generally means the home team needs to bat first and not make many. Hobart 2016 is the most obvious example, all out 85, but at least after three sessions Australia had taken wickets as well, and was a chance to keep the deficit vaguely within reach. After five sessions they were stuffed, as South Africa had a late-order batting rally.
But here, Bangladesh have bossed each session so far.
Australia are getting thumped by Bangladesh
Five sessions in, and five sessions won by the visitors – this has been an absolutely wonderful performance from a team that is defying the odds to be able to do what they’ve done. The early wicket yesterday was followed by a century stand. The breaking of that stand was very nearly followed by another. A second-gamer in a makeshift spot as opener has peeled off a ton, but it’s not just that, everyone else has made runs around him, and his dismissal didn’t spark a slide. The captain will now have half an eye on a century of his own, and the veteran at the other end is providing calm support.
New ball due soon after tea, so that will be key. At five sessions, Australia still have a path back into this match if they can keep the deficit to about 150. If they lose six sessions on the bounce, different story.
78th over: Bangladesh 286-3 (Shanto 79, Mushfiqur 26) Turn things to your advantage! Mushfiqur’s lack of height works for him. Lyon’s ball isn’t that short, in fact it’s below bail height at the point of contact, but some width allows Mushy to get low and absolutely lace his cut shot behind point. He goes again for a single, and that will be the last score before tea.
77th over: Bangladesh 281-3 (Shanto 79, Mushfiqur 21) Meanwhile Head is bowling with great economy, Bangladesh risking nothing against him.
76th over: Bangladesh 279-3 (Shanto 78, Mushfiqur 20) Ooh, tries to repeat the dose against Lyon, does Shanto. Doesn’t get hold of his shot this time, and instead hits it high into the deep for three runs to deep mid. You don’t want to hole out minutes before tea, skipper. That shot comes after Mushfiqur has slog-swept Lyon in front of square for four. Lyon’s last three overs have gone 9, 8, 10.
75th over: Bangladesh 269-3 (Shanto 75, Mushfiqur 13) Travis Head has a bowl, which means that Captain Cummins is feeling the pitch. He launches into a huge crowd-catch celebration as a half volley is hit back to him! Always looking to have a good time, T. Head. After that, Mushy knocks him down the ground for an easy run. No risks from Bangers against Head, who can be a danger bowling. This partnership nearing 50.
74th over: Bangladesh 268-3 (Shanto 75, Mushfiqur 12) Cat and mouse here. Lyon comes over the wicket to the left-hander, hoping to put some questions in Shanto’s mind, and Shanto plays a reverse sweep against the ball outside leg and misses. Straighter ball, blocked. Outside leg, reverse again, this time smothering the ball just after it bounces and getting it past backward point for two. Straighter, defended. Then Shanto says, I ain’t no mouse, friend. Thunders down the pitch and Exocets that ball wayyyy over midwicket!
73rd over: Bangladesh 260-3 (Shanto 67, Mushfiqur 12) Without much on offer, Hazlewood is just bowling stump to stump, hoping to keep things dry after a glimpse of monsoon season. It works, keeping Shanto to a single.
72nd over: Bangladesh 259-3 (Shanto 66, Mushfiqur 12) Shot, Shanto. Fetches the sweep show from well outside off stump, but knows there is nobody fine behind square leg, and searches for that gap, getting the ball around the clockface. Aerial but safe, and four. Two through cover to follow. Changes strike, Mushfiqur sweeps two, the runs coming with ease against the old ball. Nine from the over.
71st over: Bangladesh 250-3 (Shanto 59, Mushfiqur 10) One was pondering whether Australia needed to get one of the main quicks on with a new player in and 14 overs to the new ball, and when that count reduces to 10 overs to go, Cummins makes the move. Hazlewood comes on for Webster. Nothing happening off this surface. The Bangladeshis play straight and pick up a few singles. They lead by 52.
70th over: Bangladesh 247-3 (Shanto 57, Mushfiqur 9) Another classy stroke from Mushy, starts with the skip down to Lyon and finishes with the ball at the cover rope.
69th over: Bangladesh 243-3 (Shanto 57, Mushfiqur 5) First ball of the over sits up, and Shanto doesn’t play the most elegant shot but does drag it away through mid on for four. He decides that’s enough risk for the over, leaving everything alone with Alex Carey just behind the left-hander’s left shoulder, keeping up to the stumps for Webster.
68th over: Bangladesh 239-3 (Shanto 53, Mushfiqur 5) Lyon has waited eight months to take Test wicket #538, and now he goes on with his work. A single.
67th over: Bangladesh 238-3 (Shanto 52, Mushfiqur 5) The confidence! Webster is bowling his mediums, and the diminutive Mushfiqur Rahim strides forward and nails a cover drive to the boundary! Lovely start, for a player who has waited since his debut in 2005 for his team to be invited to play in Australia.
66th over: Bangladesh 233-3 (Shanto 51, Mushfiqur 1) Lyon finishes his over, as Bangladesh’s most experienced international comes to the crease.
WICKET! Tanzid c Starc b Lyon 101, Bangladesh 231-3
If they say the darkest hour is right before the dawn, then the most dangerous hour is on 101. Tanzid’s concentration breaks. He has advanced with clarity at times in this innings, but deciding to hit over long off while Mitchell Starc is out in the deep is a moment of fog. Starc makes up excellent ground moving around straight, and takes the diving catch despite plugging one knee into the turf and rolling over awkwardly afterwards. He’s a bit sore, but comes up smiling.
65th over: Bangladesh 231-2 (Tanzid 101, Shanto 50) Hooo boy. Thank you to JP for the first half of the day, and what a milestone moment that was to hand over. We are witnessing a truly extraordinary performance here. Tanzid survives the first over after his ton, blocking out Webster for five balls before glancing a single.
Jonathan Howcroft
And with that it’s time for a drink and a change in this commentary box with Geoff Lemon helming the controls until the end of play.
100 to Tanzid Hasan!
64th over: Bangladesh 230-2 (Tanzid 100, Shanto 50) Shanto calmly drives Lyon down the ground for a single to pass 50 for the 16th time in Tests. He has an excellent conversion rate too. Now all eyes turn to Tanzid on 99. The field does not come in. The opener leaves a wide half-volley! Then rejects another wider sucker ball. Finally he pierces the ring, scampers down the track, raises his arms to the sky, removes his helmet, and celebrates a magnificent maiden Test century.
63rd over: Bangladesh 228-2 (Tanzid 99, Shanto 49) Shanto gets off strike first ball to allow Tanzid the opportunity to convert his maiden Test century. He gets a single…Then Shanto works one from the final ball to retain the strike.
62nd over: Bangladesh 225-2 (Tanzid 98, Shanto 47) Nearing a maiden Test century Tanzid is understandably starting to look a little skittish. Lyon gets one to beat the outside edge courtesy of some extra bounce, then he lofts a squirty drive that lands just short of the sweeper place out a deep long off.
“Hi, I am from India and our team is currently going through a brutal transition (two whitewashes at home),” emails Prakhar Gupta. “Australia can’t wait for the Ashes to end to begin their transition. Surely, this transition cannot be sudden. The new players need opportunities in pressure matches. This low-profile series was a good opportunity to test new players.”
61st over: Bangladesh 222-2 (Tanzid 96, Shanto 46) At 222-2 there’s a rare win for Australia with Cummins beating Tanzid for pace and striking him in the midriff.
Tom Frost coming in hot with the gags: “Australia should not be too worried, some of their players have only just turned 30 and their is still room for improvement!”. Boom, tish, tip your waitress, try the veal etc.
We’re only 4.5 sessions into this series, so conclusions should not be leapt to, but the conversation over squad renewal is going to dominate the next few days and weeks.
60th over: Bangladesh 219-2 (Tanzid 94, Shanto 45) Right on cue, here’s Lyon for his first spell of the afternoon. Shanto greets him by easing a couple down the ground, but the bowler soon finds his rhythm – and decent drop and drift – using the breeze that’s coming over his right shoulder. Nothing is happening off the pitch so deception through the air is the order of the day.
59th over: Bangladesh 216-2 (Tanzid 94, Shanto 42) With the new ball 22 overs away it is telling Lyon is not wheeling through a long spell, especially as temperatures push 34C. As it is, Cummins bends his back to little effect.
58th over: Bangladesh 214-2 (Tanzid 93, Shanto 41) Starc has swapped ends but the change of footmarks doesn’t bring about a change of fortunes as Shanto misses out on a pull shot before cracking a square cut from under his nose. This has been top class batting.
57th over: Bangladesh 207-2 (Tanzid 90, Shanto 37) The skipper brings himself back on. He needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat because this hot and humid day is quickly getting away from his team. Spoiler alert: no rabbits sighted, but Tanzid does demonstrate a lapse in concentration that sees him walk down the pitch and get beaten outside his off stump.
56th over: Bangladesh 205-2 (Tanzid 89, Shanto 36) Bangladesh are starting to look more relaxed at the crease, getting their hands through the ball, aiming to capitalise on an old ball and tiring attack. This is chastening stuff for Australia.
55th over: Bangladesh 201-2 (Tanzid 88, Shanto 33) Bangladesh are ahead – with eight first innings wickets remaining! Tanzid is the right man to put his side in front and he does so with a lovely back cut off Starc. This is dreamland stuff for the tourists.
54th over: Bangladesh 196-2 (Tanzid 84, Shanto 33) Better from Australia. From around the wicket Hazlewood locates a decent line and length, testing the patience of both batters, who leave smartly and defend late from the crease before Shanto accepts the final ball gift – a bouncer always heading down the legside that just needs helping on its way.
Meanwhile, Labuschagne removes another huge clod of turf from the outfield with a sliding stop. This is the second time today he’s done that and makes me wince, knowing what the damage could be if his knee gets caught underneath him.
53rd over: Bangladesh 191-2 (Tanzid 83, Shanto 29) Starc struggles with his footmarks from over the wicket to the left-handers. He only passes 140kph twice as Bangladesh keep things ticking over with a couple of singles.
52nd over: Bangladesh 189-2 (Tanzid 82, Shanto 28) Hazlewood is bowling to a 5-4 field from around the wicket, targeting the delivery that troubles the shoulder of the bat. He executes just that to begin with, then lobs down a wide half-volley that Tanzid climbs into, sending it scorching through extra-cover to reach the highest score ever by a Bangladesh batter in Australia. Then he brings up the 50 partnership from just 74 balls courtesy of a punchy checked straight drive. The tourists resume where they left off.
The teams are back out for the afternoon session. Can Bangladesh take the game away from the hosts? Or are we finally about to see an Australian fightback?
Josh Hazlewood has the ball.
“Can Australia get some young talent in?” implores Ahan Jain. “These bowlers and batters look cooked. Get McSweeney, Peake, Kellaway – anyone under the age of 27 – into the side. This team looks dead.”
I would say undercooked more than dead, but it is clearly a squad in need of rejuvenation. Obviously the expectation is for a major rebuild after the Ashes in 12 months time, but decisions may yet be forced upon selectors before then.
Australia used six bowlers that session but created precious few openings. The surface is unsuited to the attack, with tennis-ball bounce and a lack of pace meaning a “good” length is fuller and smaller than normal. The ball hasn’t helped either, offering nothing in the air and little off the deck. A change of ball in the over before lunch could pay dividends this afternoon.
Cummins has nursed his attack in the heat and humidity, keeping spells short, but the session still revealed Green continues to struggle to execute a defined role, Lyon is not yet fully fit on his return from injury, and in conditions offering little there is an absence of proactivity and creativity to make something happen.
The fourth session in a row is claimed handsomely by Bangladesh. Tanzid has led the way with an unbeaten 74, a knock that includes his maiden Test half-century, and he has been ably supported by Mominul (49) and Shanto 28*.
Just as with the three previous sessions it’s a performance built on discipline and patience. Bangladesh are taking few risks, leaving well, but still managing to put away the bad ball when offered.
Lunch: Bangladesh 181-2 (Trail by 17)
51st over: Bangladesh 181-2 (Tanzid 74, Shanto 28) The new ball is almost immediately disfigured by a crunching straight drive from Shanto, who shows his touch as well as power with a neat dab around the corner for a couple more runs.
Lunch will be delayed a fraction as the umpires have asked for the ball to be replaced for going out of shape. Australia will be thrilled. The nut they’ve been using for 50 overs did practically nothing.
50th over: Bangladesh 175-2 (Tanzid 74, Shanto 22) Green continues, but the defensive field he’s bowling to is a clear indication of how confident his captain feels about his prospects. The allrounder sends down a better over than his initial effort and almost steals a wicket when Tanzid’s drive outside off squirts to Webster in the gully on the half-volley.
49th over: Bangladesh 174-2 (Tanzid 74, Shanto 21) Lyon is landing the ball on a good line and length but little is happening for him off the surface.
48th over: Bangladesh 170-2 (Tanzid 71, Shanto 20) Australia turn to their sixth bowler of the session with Green replacing Cummins. The all-rounder’s stock length is too short on this surface, and his attempted bouncer has no venom, allowing Shanto plenty of time to pull a couple of runs forward of mid-wicket. Cricket being cricket, Green overcorrects so Shanto drives through the line, presenting the full face of the bat, and gets to admire a textbook straight drive. Green is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, returning to his shorter length, so Shanto whip cracks a glorious pull that scuds to the mid-wicket fence. That was a real statement over from the Bangladesh skipper, and a worrying indication of Green’s bowling fitness and Australia’s plan for how to use him.
47th over: Bangladesh 160-2 (Tanzid 71, Shanto 10) Lyon continues, allowing us the sight of Weatherald at short leg walking in with the bowler! That is an extraordinary technique, crouched, leading with his left foot like an old-fashioned sprinter, creating a couple of steps of forward momentum before adopting the familiar squat a couple of metres from the bat. I cannot see that catching on.
46th over: Bangladesh 159-2 (Tanzid 71, Shanto 9) Plenty of oohs and ahhs as Cummins senses Bangladesh’s patience is starting to wear thin close to lunch. The nearest miss is a loose drive from Tanzid that lands on the half-volley into the safe hands of Green in the gully.
45th over: Bangladesh 158-2 (Tanzid 71, Shanto 8) More runs for Tanzid, three this time, as Lyon loses his line and is swept fine.
“Surely the selectors can blood some younger talent,” laments Brock. “We just seem to be playing the same players even when they’re not performing – looking at you Marnus… And for the love of god why can’t Boland get a permanent test spot?”.
Labuschagne must be on thin ice given not only his lack of runs over a long period of time but the unconvincing and muddled manner in which he is batting. The problem is the lack of contenders behind him demanding selection.
Boland is just one of those historical anomalies. A 50+ Test regular in any other era he just happens to find himself competing with three modern greats for a spot in the side. He will see plenty of action over the coming 12 months though.
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