Australia in trouble as Bangladesh close in on historic Test victory in Darwin

Bangladesh moved closer to a historic Test victory in Australia after reducing the hosts to 161-4 on Day 3 of the opening Test in Darwin. Josh Hazlewood claimed his 300th wicket, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud kept Bangladesh in control

Darwin (Australia): Bangladesh moved closer to one of the biggest wins in its Test cricket history after Australia stumbled to 161-4 and remained 67 runs behind at stumps on Day 3 of the first Test on Saturday.

Cameron Green (43 not out) and Alex Carey (19 not out) dug in to keep Australia afloat, but the hosts face a huge task of first erasing the deficit and then building a competitive total to defend in the final innings. Bangladesh needs six wickets to secure its first Test victory in Australia and arguably the biggest win in its history in the format.

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Resuming at 351-6, Mehidy Hasan Miraz calmly shepherded Bangladesh’s tail to add another 75 runs, taking the visitors to 426 and extending their first-innings lead beyond 200 before returning to make the crucial breakthrough with the ball by removing Steve Smith late in the day.

Mehidy shared partnerships of 46 with Hasan Mahmud, 18 with Taijul Islam and then a handy 46-run stand with Taskin Ahmed before eventually falling for 65 off 154 balls.

Australia was at times its own enemy, with the hosts dropping another three catches on Saturday, including an inexplicable miss by Smith in the deep, taking their tally of dropped catches to five in the match.

Hazlewood’s 300 wickets

Josh Hazlewood claimed all four wickets to fall on Saturday and returned figures of 6-89 from 28 overs in the innings. His fifth wicket, that of Mehidy, was also his 300th Test wicket, making him the fourth member of Australia’s “Big Four” bowling attack to reach the milestone and the ninth Australian to do so.

Hazlewood then removed Ebadot Hossain, caught behind for 7, to end Bangladesh’s innings at 426.

Top-order woes repeat

Australia lost both openers cheaply before tea as Bangladesh strengthened its grip at Marrara Stadium.

Jake Weatherald (0) and Travis Head (17) both chopped on to pacer Hasan Mahmud while attempting cut shots too close to their stumps, leaving Australia reeling at 37-2.

It took Mahmud’s (2-33) match tally to eight wickets after his return of 6-55 in the first innings restricted the hosts to 198 and set the tone for Bangladesh’s dominance over the following two days.

Marnus Labuschagne, also searching for runs after a lean spell, looked busy at the crease until he missed a straight delivery from spinner Taijul Islam (1-28) and was bowled for 31 off 59 balls.

Australia’s hopes of salvaging the match rested on Smith’s shoulders, and the veteran looked composed as he characteristically accumulated runs with minimal risk.

The match swung firmly towards Bangladesh when Mehidy (1-20) took a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to dismiss Smith (44), leaving Australia at 122-4 and still 106 runs behind.

The largest first-innings deficit Australia has overcome to win a home Test was 206 runs, when it trailed Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2010.

The two-Test “Top End” series begins a demanding 12-month schedule for Australia that will feature 20 Test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.