Tigers to set gigantic target for Afghans

Hosts Bangladesh are going to set enormous target for touring Afghanistan .

Hosts Bangladesh are going to set enormous target for touring Afghanistan as the Tigers already have taken 370-run lead in their second innings at the end of day-2 of the Dhaka Test .

Earlier on Thursday morning, Bangladesh lost five wickets in seven overs to add 20 runs to the overnights 362 runs for five.

Both the overnights batter Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Miraz failed to pick up respective fifties.

Mushfiq added six to his previous day's 41, while Miraz had fallen two shorts of a half century resuming batting from 43 runs.

The last four Bangladesh batters added eight runs and the scores are 2, 0, 6 and 0.

Debutant Nijat Masood hauled five wickets for 79 runs while Yamin Ahmadzai took two. Amir Hamza, Zahir Khan and Rahmat Shah shared one wicket each.

Afghanistan in reply, had drowned in deep sea losing top three batters to post 36 runs on the board before the lunch. Opener Ibrahim Zardan went on six and his partner Abdul Malik departed on 17. One-down batter Rahmat Shah returned to the dugout scoring nine runs.

The situation deteriorated after the fall of the wicket of skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi, who managed to score as many runs as Rahmat.

Nasir Jamal and Afsar Zazai however, started batting furiously to transfer the pressure on fielding side. But their entertaining innings couldn't go far as Jamal got out on 35 off 43 and Afsar on 36 off 40. They hit six boundaries each.

 Among the later whiffers, pace bowling all-rounder Karim Janat showed resistance from one end and witnessed the collapse from the other side. Janat got out as the last Afghan batter scoring 23 runs.

The last three visiting batters failed to open the accounts as Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 runs in their first innings.

Mehidy Miraz put the last pin on the board picking up the wicket of Janat to reach his 150th Test wicket's milestone. He notched two wickets on the day.

Taijul Islam and Shoriful Islam were also seized two wickets apiece. But it was Ebadot Hossain, who destroyed Afghan lineup hauling four wickets allowing 47 runs.

Afghanistan thereby, were trailed by 236 runs after getting all out but Bangladesh decided to bat again instead of enforcing Afghanistan to follow-on. Mahmudul Hasan Joy got out early scoring 17 runs but Najmul Hossain Shanto started where he left.

This time he got Zakir Hasan to pair with. Zakir picked up the 2nd fifty of his career while Shanto completed the 4th Test fifty of his career.

Both the soutpaws remained unbeaten on 54 runs respectively as the Tigers assembled 134 runs in their second innings losing one wicket.

On Wednesday, Afghanistan won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat first. The Tigers ended the day on 362 for five ridding on the bat of Najmul Hossain Shanto (146) and Mahmudul Hasan Joy (76) .