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Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto's unbeaten ton puts Bangladesh in firm control against New Zealand at the end of Day 3 of the first Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
New Zealand tailenders Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee frustrated Bangladesh bowlers for the opening 17 overs of the day. They first took down the trail of 44 runs and started to hurt Bangladesh with each run contributing to lead over the Tigers. Both batters fought valiantly on the pitch during their stay on the field which lasted for 17 overs. Left-arm orthodox took the onus to end New Zealand's innings as he scalped wickets of both set batters Southee (23) and Jamieson (35) in a single over. New Zealand's first innings ended on 317, Southee and Jamieson's struggle on the field allowed New Zealand to take a slender 7-run lead over the hosts. Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan Joy kicked off the second innings with a clear attacking intent. They took down the lead in the first two overs but then the pacers took control and slowed down the pace of the game. The precise line and length made it the next coming overs made the batters toil hard for each run. In the 7 overs that were bowled before the end of the first session, Bangladesh scored just a run per over in comparison to their run rate of 3.33 in the first three overs. Bangladesh ended the first session with a score of 19/0. Ajaz Patel handed the first blow in the second session by dismissing Zakir Hasan (17) back to the pavilion with a sharp delivery. A moment of brilliance in the field from Southee handed the second blow to Bangladesh in a span of 10 deliveries. Mahmudul failed to slide his bat in time and had to walk back with a score of 8(46). The rest of the day showcased skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto's remarkable strokes with the bat. Along with Mominul Haque, both batters stitched up a 90-run partnership which majorly featured Shanto as the leading run contributor. The sole wicket of the second session came from a runout by Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls combining together to dismiss Haque for 40(68). Mushfiqur Rahim came to ensure that Bangladesh ended the day without loss of further wickets. Shanto lifted his bat after completing a well-deserved ton in the final over of the day. The lack of light didn't allow the game to continue umpires deemed it to be unfit to continue the day. Bangladesh ended the day with a score of 212/3 in 68 overs leading by 205 runs. Brief Score: Bangladesh 310 & 212/3 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 104*, Mushfiqur Rahim 43*; Ajaz Patel 1-23) vs New Zealand (Kane Williamson 104, Glenn Phillips 42, Daryl Mitchell 41). (ANI)
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