Bangladesh on verge of historic win in Australia as Mehidy takes five / Photo: William WEST - AFP
Bangladesh on verge of historic win in Australia as Mehidy takes five
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz put Bangladesh within touching distance of a historic win on Sunday after taking five wickets on day four of the first Test in Darwin as Australia were all out for 284.
Bangladesh need 57 runs to claim an unlikely but emphatic victory, having never previously won a Test in Australia.
Cameron Green offered the only real resistance, scoring a hard-fought 104, but he was offered no real support as Bangladesh kept taking vital scalps to keep the pressure on.
The visitors went into the match with most observers giving them no chance of winning.
Their only warm-up game, against a Cricket Australia XI, ended in a big loss that included a second-innings collapse where they were all out for 54.
But they have completely outplayed the Australians and won every session, batting, bowling and catching better than their more illustrious counterparts.
Australia, fielding their best possible team, have looked out of sorts from the beginning.
Their batting failed in the first innings when they were bowled out on the opening day for 198, then their much-vaunted bowling attack struggled against the gritty Bangladesh batsmen.
Led by a maiden Test century from opener Tanzid Hasan, the Bangladeshis made 426 and importantly kept Australia in the field for 138 overs in Darwin's heat and humidity.
The bowlers then showed great patience Saturday to make regular breakthroughs and keep Australia on the ropes.
When Australia resumed Sunday on 161-4, most of their hopes lay with Alex Carey and Green.
Carey lived dangerously in the opening 30 minutes, twice edging seamer Hasan Mahmud through the vacant slips cordon for boundaries.
But on 30 Mehidy produced a beautiful ball, pitching in line then turning sharply to take Carey's outside edge to wicketkeeper Litton Das.
He struck again soon after, bowling Beau Webster for five to leave Australia 193-6 and in deep trouble.
A famous victory edged ever closer when Australia captain Pat Cummins pushed forward to a Mehidy delivery and got an inside edge to short leg, where Shadman Islam took a sharp chance.
Australia were 207-7, still 21 runs behind Bangladesh's first-innings total.
Green and Mitchell Starc batted sensibly to ensure Bangladesh had to bat again.
Starc fell for 18 caught behind but Green was playing well and brought up his century shortly after lunch.
But despite looking increasingly comfortable, he was undone when a Hasan ball kept low, hit the toe end of his bat and cannoned into the stumps.
Mehidy wrapped up the innings when he trapped Nathan Lyon plumb in front leg before.
X.Gamal--CdE
