Aussies dominate Day 2

There was no rain at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, but more importantly there was no sunshine as Australia dominated all three sessions of the second day of the second Test in a gloomy Chittagong. The visitors ended the first day on 225 for two, 80 runs behind Bangladesh's first innings total of 305 all out.  

The visitors did what Bangladesh could not on the first day, and that is make runs while the pitch is still good for batting. Under covers for much of the rainy lead-up to the second and last Test of the two-match series, the pitch is expected to dry out under the sun and help the spinners more the drier it becomes. Warner however survived genuine chances when he was on 73 and 52. In the last session, in the 57th over off Mehedi Hasan Miraz, the left-hander came down the track and was beaten by the turn, only for the ball to stay low and hit keeper Mushfiqur Rahim's pads as he got up too fast. He was earlier dropped in the second session by Mominul Haque off Taijul Islam.

Although the ball started to turn more on the second day, it was still easy enough if the batsmen were committed, and Australia's David Warner, Peter Handscomb and captain Steve Smith were determined to overtake Bangladesh's below-par first-innings 305. Australia started the day by getting rid of the last four Bangladesh wickets for the addition of just 52 runs to the overnight score and ended it within sight of Bangladesh's total, with Warner and Handscomb looking serene on 88 and 70 respectively.

Bangladesh's bowlers and overall strategy on the field were found wanting when confronted with a wicket that would not yet do half the work for them. The field placements of skipper Mushfiqur, who was part of the recovery effort on the previous day following a top-order collapse of 117 for five after they won a vital toss, left much to be desired as singles were allowed on a wicket where the batsmen seem confident of batting long.

The bowlers did not seem to have much of a plan and, unlike their Australian counterparts who were faced with a flat track yesterday, lacked the patience to stem the run flow and frustrate the batsmen, which was difficult enough with the fields set. The proof of all this is in Australia's innings run rate of 3.5. Warner also benefitted from Mominul Haque dropping a catch at short leg off Taijul Islam in the 39th over with the left-hander on 52. 

In the second session which Australia ended on 111 for two, Smith scored a brisk 58 before being outdone by a straighter delivery from Taijul Islam's first ball in the match. 20 minutes prior to tea, Mushfiqur brought Taijul into the attack. Smith, who was looking increasingly dangerous, left a gap between bat and pad and was bowled off the first delivery of the 29th over, bringing an end to a 93-run second-wicket partnership that started when opener Matt Renshaw fell early to Mustafizur Rahman in the first session with the score on five.

Smith and Warner had made pretty easy work of the bowling. While pacer Mustafizur had troubled the duo early in the innings they managed to play the spinners quite easily.

In the first session, Australia managed to knock off the remaining four Bangladesh wickets in 23.2 overs of the morning session -- with off-spinner Nathan Lyon taking taking two more wickets and ending up with an innings haul of seven for 94. Bangladesh meanwhile accomplished a 300-plus total on a pitch expected to deteriorate.

Although the pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong barely turned on the first day, Lyon got some turn immediately as a beautifully flighted off-break sneaked through the bat and pad of Mushfiqur and bowled him in the 98th over, the eighth of the day. The captain had added just six to his overnight score

Nasir Hossain, who had scored a valuable 19 after a 105-run sixth wicket partnership between Mushfiqur and Sabbir Rahman the previous day, continued in his enterprising manner till he became the second victim of Ashton Agar, edging to the keeper for 45 crucial runs in the 111th over with the team score on 293 for eight.

In the next over, Mehedi Hasan Miraz was run out trying to go for a second run to leave the Tigers nine down and four short of 300. Taijul Islam then carried the score to 305 before becoming Lyon's second victim.