Quality maiden from Agar. Sabbir starts out aggressively, trying to come down and score through cover. Doesn’t beat the ring. But he doesn’t take the bait of a bit more air, lunging forward to negate the spin.
No surprise that the wicket prompts a return of Nathan Lyon to the bowling crease from the broadcast or northern end. Wade loves it, telling Sabbir that he’s going to nick one. Comes after Mushfiqur gets busy to begin, two guided behing point, another swept to midwicket. Caaaaatch! is the call to the penultimate delivery, Mushfiqur again sweeping but getting a top edge. Doesn’t quite get to Renshaw running around at backward square. He was slow on it, which didn’t help.
The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf)
The average first innings total in Test Matches at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium is 353 #BANvAUS
WICKET! Shakib c Wade b Agar 24 (Bangladesh 117-5)
Agar back and into the book with a huge wicket! The man with more runs than all bar three other players in 2018 has edged the spinner off the back foot, another victim to one that doesn’t spin. Clever from the tall left-armer to stay around the wicket, even if it took a few balls to find his spot. Big moment in the context of the game, Shakib looking ready to really take advantage. And well done Matt Wade, who didn’t have long to adjust his gloves to the left but did it well.
Last one to drinks. Pat Cummins was off for a tic there, but due to being bloody hot rather than any injury, I’m reliably informed. Shakib cuts a couple off his stumps from Maxwell, easily enough. Defends the rest. Drinks. Australia took the first 30, Bangladesh the second, if breaking it down to that extent.
James Crane on the email from Glasgow with a picture out his office window. Must admit, keep forgetting it is Monday. “I don’t think I could much further away from you,” he says. “Anyone care to raise the Meh stakes?”
Anthony Leach (@ahleach)
Successive captains have misused the GOAT. He’s always been an opening bowler to me. #BANvAUS
Not the most absorbing cricket, but this is why O’Keefe has been turned to. Got through 77 overs at Ranchi in one of the longest marathons in Test history. Mushfiqur does well to get across his stumps and take one behind square. The spinners misses the mark later in the set, down legside, missing everything including Wade’s gloves. Only one bye, though.
“I like how he’s pushing those boys!” Wade is into Maxwell’s off-spin as well. I’m convinced they have turned the stump mic up on the TV coverage compared to last week. To be fair, the skipper is textbook, well forward and dropping in front of him. Singles for both along the way.
O’Keefe with one of his stock-standard 60-second overs. He does that well. Throwing it up to Mushfiqur, drawing him forward. “Ooooh, that’s so close!” Wade’s verdict, when the final delivery again gets the Bangladesh skipper well down the track in defence. At home on the couch watching a week ago, operating in a vital Test Match now. And he loves it.
Maxwell! Didn’t see that coming. Given a roll to replace Nathan Lyon, who has earned a spell. He got a vital breakthrough on the opening day at Dhaka, so it stands to reason to try it on again. To Shakib, he’s giving it some air. Eventually driven for one. He won’t mind that. Rahim does likewise, to long-on. Good start from the biggest show in town.
Had to do without wifi for a few minutes there, so we’ll just say that both batsmen took a single off Sok and leave it at that. “Given that the double century was in his last test, Dizzy Gillespie must have also taken his 259th wicket here,” writes Peter Salmon. Bloody good point.
Quick single required to get Shakib down the other end, Lyon going everything right here, so close to going past his inside edge with the previous ball. Mushfiqur retains the strike with a a pull shot to midwicket. Doesn’t get much of it, so it is collected. 100 up with that shot. They were going alright in the lead up to lunch, but wickets either side of the break put Australia clearly ahead early at this stage.
Both players looking to score off O’Keefe, ticking the board over to the first four balls of the over, square of the wicket then down the ground, no risks there. A hack to mid-on isn’t that pretty, but does the job. Sok pushes the second last one through, nearly beating the bat. Hands on heads. But he’s through it safely.
A lot of love for Nathan Lyon on the World Wide Web.
I’m transfixed by the Wade soundtrack. He sure loves keeping to Nathan Lyon. Noooooooice. Shakib gets him down the ground and Lyon isn’t thrilled, half a hint of a misfield there I think. Mushfiqur forced onto the back foot with a quicker one, then drawn forward with the flighted alternative. Peak of his powers today, Lyon.
Shiva J (@Shiva_cricinfo)
Nathan Lyon’s is the first time in Test history that the top 4 batsmen in an innings have got out lbw to the same bowler. #BANvAUS
“Steve O’Keefe’s ’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble (Hey-la-day-la O’Keefe is back).” That he is, from the pavilion end. Going around the wicket to left-hander Shakib. Interesting approach. Quick single to cover gets Mushfiqur down the business end. He responds well, slapping a half-volley through the covers to get off the mark.
“Nice, Garry!” rings out time and again through the stump mic. Wade nearly lost his spot after Dhaka, but not his voice. It’s a comforting soundtrack. Shakib, looking at Lyon here, takes one to point when there’s a fraction width. But the offie is back on the stumps to Mushfiqur. He’s been so accurate today. “Gee that’s close, Garry!” roars Wade as the over ends.
Daniel Cherny 📰 (@DanielCherny)
Test wicket tallies of Aus XI Lyon 260 SOK 33 Cummins 19 Smith 17 Maxwell 8 Agar 7 Warner 4 Rest 0
Cummins did his bit to dot it up the previous over. Bowling in partnerships, as BJ says on the telly. He continues around the wicket to Shakib, who gets across his stumps to take one fine. Captain Mushfiqur to face his first ball, nice and straight. It’s thrown back at the batsman, it deflects off his bat. They could run, but they don’t. Cummins is such a nice boy that he apologises for throwing it. Inside edge saves the home skipper next up. Nearly another leg before. First time in a Test that the top four for Bangladesh have been dismissed lbw, the TV tells me as well.
Australia has four and they are all lbw Lyon! What a scorecard! This, to Mominul, two balls after being cut for four, skids on with the arm again from around the wicket. Identical to a couple of the others in he quartet. This is how Australian sides usually collapse themselves in this part of the world, with cagey local spinners passing the inside edge. Well, Lyon’s that man today. And he is now moves to 7th for most Test wickets taken by an Australian. 260 all up. What a series he is having.
Shakib more conservative this time around. Cummins angling in from around the wicket with just the one slip in place. A tidy maiden.
“Do you happen to have the link to the Aussie boys that were doing audio comms on this game? Think you posted something during the 1st Test,” asks James Crane. That would be White Line Wireless. I’ll link them up below. “I will, of course, continue to follow your OBO coverage!” Thank you. The OBO works neatly with all other commentaries.
You can talk to me too, if course. See the above for the email and twitter details. Hit me up. Tell me a story. Been to Chittagong? Ever been in Bangladesh during Eid? I tell you what, that was an experience. Went for a walk on Saturday morning and won’t forget it for the rest of my life.
Another useful over for Mominul, looking to score off the pads, but eventually getting a couple with a drive past cover. One of five left-hander in the Bangladesh top six. In for a quick, which makes perfect sense given the state of the series andhow little the local seamers were required in Dhaka. Has a classy record, and three of his five Test tons on this very ground.
Cummins from the southern end, to start his third spell. Deserved to be in the book earlier when Maxwell put Tamim down at third slip. That’s another small but noteworthy element to the team changes: Khawaja has been doing well at third slip since returning to the team. Anyway, he was out shortly thereafter so no big deal. Mominul rotates the strike down the ground to give Shakib a look at the Aussie speedster. And he likes what he sees, launching into a lavish cover drive. That’ll do nicely. And he does it again to end the over! Sees width, loves width, slays width. Lovely square drive. That’s got the crowd involved. Perfect re-start for the hosts.
Adam Collins (@collinsadam)
Kids gathered to watch the first major Bangladeshi cricket hero, Akram Khan, spend some time in the press box at lunch. #BANvAUSpic.twitter.com/LeQ7bAEJco
New man Shakib, the vital wicket in this Bangladesh middle order, pats the first couple away. Lyon right back on the mark, as he was throughout the opening session. No major spin expected here early due to the clay composition, as it was explained to me by the curator. At Mirpur, it was the softer black clay, here it’s brown. Hard as a rock. Part of the reason Smith expected a lot more first innings runs coming into the match.
Thank you, Sam. A smashing stint from you to begin the Test. I’m taking over from the Northern End here at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The press box to be precise. Not a lot to add to Sam’s lunch wrap other than to say it is a smashing day outside. Hot and humid, so not smashing for those in the heat. But given the rain we’ve been nailed with since landing in Chittagong, this will do just fine.
On the field, my main point of interest for now is that Nathan Lyon has dined on 259 Test wickets, taking him to equal seventh all-time for Australian bowlers. He goes past Jason Gillespie with his next, at the ground where he made the least-likely double ton in the history of the game the last time the baggy greens were here. Nice, ay?
Righto. Players on the field. Lyon has the ball, with two balls to come in the over after grabbing Soumya to go to the break. PLAY.
It was Australia’s session, and they can thank their opening bowler, Nathan Lyon, for doing the majority of the damage. The first spinner to open the bowling in the first innings for Australia since Bill O’Reilly in 1938 mixed his flight and pace with aplomb to land three crucial wickets – all LBW – to give Australia three wickets for the session.
Ably supported by Pat Cummins, who bowled with serious venom on an otherwise unhelpful wicket for quicks, Lyon was largely unerring in his round-the-wicket attack. Given how fresh this match is, it’s hard to say how valuable these three wickets are – though early indications are that the pitch will play a little more truly than it did in Dhaka, which would render Lyon’s contribution here even greater.
For their part, Bangladesh were a little tentative in their approach throughout the session, and allowed Lyon and O’Keefe in particular to slow the scoring and build significant pressure. Only when they counter-punched did they ask a few questions of Australia, and they may need to be a little more positive if they’re to exert some pressure back on Australia’s bowlers.
Even so, the partnership between Mominul and Shakar was starting to look quite fruitful until Shakar’s lunch-triggering dismissal. It brings Shakib to the crease and in doing so Bangladesh’s two most dynamic batsmen to the crease.
It’s an early point to Australia here, but there’s a long way to go. You’ll have Adam Collins up next to take you through the intrigue and, hopefully, not the weather outlook. It’s looking surprisingly good so far.
Thanks for joining me today – I’ll see (read) you tomorrow.
Lyon’s done it again! Huge wicket heading into lunch here as Lyon strikes. We’ve seen this scene before. The ball curves in from around the wicket, the batsman stuck on the crease, and the ball his Sarkar’s front pad, then back pad, before he’s given out. Sarkar thinks about the review before deciding against it, and rightly so. That brings on lunch, and Lyon’s late intervention hands the session to Australia.
Agar tries to pin Mominul on the crease and nearly sneaks through his defences on a few occasions, but the batsman is up to the task. Smith approaches Agar after a few balls for a discussion, and it seems to conjure something as Mominul just survives one that he tries to force – it rolls just past his stumps. There’s a muted appeal for a catch in close at the end of the over. Lunch approaching as Lyon takes the ball.
The partnership is up to 49 now as Bangladesh climb themselves back to parity, while Lyon remains tight throughout this over. The taller Sarkar is less of a sweeping threat than Mominul, but conversely offers less risk of dismissal because he’s less willing to play across the line. Mominul got the early single and the rest is defended.
A fan watches the match during day one of the Second Test match Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Agar’s is too straight at the start of this over – he concedes a few to Mominul’s eager sweeping, before Agar overcorrects and Momimul uses his wonderful wrists to snap the ball through cover for three. Both shots were well reeled in by Renshaw and Cartwright respectively. Shouldn’t be long before lunch now.
Lyon’s largely quick and flat to Mominul this over, and after a stalemate Mominul attempts a risky sweep to one spearing in to the stumps. It just collects his bat and he gets a single for it, not before Wade(y) lets him know it was close with a big ‘OHH!’. The net result is two to Bangladesh.
Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999)
@sjjperry This is what Patrick Cummins is going to do to us in The Ashes isn’t it? What a fantastic bowler he is – https://t.co/4p0Gvvvec4
It’s Agar into the attack now – interesting to contrast his tall, upright action against O’Keefe’s low, slingy style of delivery. He doesn’t seem to give the ball as much action out of the fingers – it’s a little less violent – but he does find a little bit of spin in his first over. Like SOK, he’s around the wicket to the left-handers. He overpitches his last ball and concedes two for his troubles.
Lyon’s back into the attack and he’s still asking questions. He’s got Mominul hovering back in his crease and the left hander under edges one that bounces perilously close to the stumps. As we approach lunch, which is 15 minutes away, you feel a wicket for Australia would put them in decent control – whereas if the Tigers can weather this, they’d take two-down as a successful session. Mominul picks up two at the end of the over behind point.
Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999)
@sjjperry 10 years ago, I was against Bangla playing Tests due to its limited First Class structure, but they just needed time. I was wrong.
Oh! Vicious stuff from Cummins here. Midway through the over he lids Mominul – right in the grill – with a fearsome bouncer. The ball pops up and looks briefly like a catching opportunity, but falls short of midwicket anyway. The replays never look pretty with these ones. He’s full after that and has Mominul playing uppishly from the crease through midwicket, before the latter pulls him firmly (with courage, I should add) to the man at deep square leg.
Graham, who’s emailed, talks sense here:
“Given the spinners are going to shoulder the burden here,” he says, “you would have to wonder why we have Cartwright. Surely we need an extra specialist bat is required for the inevitable collapse to be at least held at bay.”
Cartwright is a project player, it seems. If he’s not going to bowl, I fail to see how he is the country’s next best batsman after Khawaja.
O’Keefe is left arm round the wicket to two left-handers here, creating an odd angle, but one that works for him. The first one gets a lucky outside edge for two, and the second slides past Mominul’s bat as he attempts to cut. From thereon it’s a little better for Mominul – he finds runs behind point via a little dab and defends the rest.
Cummins adopts a straighter line here, and after Sarkar gets a single, Mominul looks well organised in his forward defence. A beautiful cover drive ends the over; it would have been four but for the diving, outstretched hand of Australia’s cover fieldsman, who I’ve not been able to identify.
Steve O’Keefe of Australia bowls during day one Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
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Adam Zwar
