England is given 273-run target to win the series

MNA Sports Desk: Bangladesh set England a target of 273-run to win in the second and last test at the Mirpur as they added 144 runs on the third day, able to make a total of 296 in the second innings.

England claimed as three quick wickets to bundle out Bangladesh for 273-run. Ben Stokes started the collapse getting the wicket of Taijul Islam in the very first over after lunch. Taijul after striking Stokes for an easy boundary fell into the trap trying to go for the glory shot.

Stokes bowled the ball a bit wide and fuller to which Taijul gave a simple catch to Jonathan Bairstow. Adil Rashid then came into his own cleaning up the tail rather quickly. Rashid third wicket was Mehedi Hasan.

Mehedi tried to hit the ball out of the park only to edge the ball into the safe hands of Joe Root. Mehedi added just 2 runs. Rashid’s final wicket was of Kamrul Islam Rabbi who hit a massive off Moeen Ali. Rabbi swept with all his might managed to top-edge the ball into the hands of the bowler himself.

Bangladesh team seems to be narrowly upfront after a very fluctuating day 2 of the second and final test between Bangladesh and England. Bangladesh’s pursuit of a first Test win over England has been nothing if not absorbing. Following their narrow defeat in Chittagong, they once again fought themselves into a promising position in the second Test, leading by 128 runs and hopeful of setting England a significant fourth-innings target to chase on a wearing surface.

The second day at Mirpur highlighted their fragility, as well as the weaknesses of an England team one-and-a-half games into a seven-Test odyssey (two tests against Bangladesh and five tests against India) on the subcontinent.

England were struggling to stay afloat after being reduced to 144 for 8 during the morning session as 18year old off spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz bewitching the top order for his second consecutive five wicket haul, before a record stand between Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid carried them into a unbelievable first-innings lead.

Brief Score-card:

Bangladesh: 220 (Tamim Iqbal 104 , Mominul Haque 66 ; Moeen Ali 5 for 57, Chris Woakes 3 for 30) & 296  (Tamim Iqbal 40, Imrul Kayes 78, Mahmudullah 47; Adil Rashid 4 for 52, Ben Stokes 2 for 41).

England: 224 ( Joe Root 56, Chris Woakes 46, Adil Rashid 44*; Mehedi Hasan 6 for 82, Taijul Islam 3 for 65) lead by 273-run.