Bangladesh avoid follow-on
May 22nd, 2007
Mashrafee bin Murtaza and Shahadat Hossain battled their way to help Bangladesh to avoid the follow-on, but the hosts still remain in danger of losing the first Test against India at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium after being all out for 238 in their first innings on Monday.
India, who declared their first innings on 387-8, ended the fourth day on 44-2 in the second innings to extend their overall lead to 193 runs. Pace bowler Shahadat Hossain took both the wickets with opener Wasim Jaffer bagging a ‘pair’ after being caught by Habibul Bashar at mid-off only the third ball of the second innings.
Rajin Saleh took a superb catch at mid-wicket to send Indian captain Rahul Dravid (2) back to earn the other wicket for Shahadat. At the close, Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 24 with Dinesh Karthik unbeaten on 15.
Earlier, Shahadat shared in a vital 77-run partnership with emerging all-rounder Mashrafee to help the home side avoid being asked to bat again.
Mashrafee took the leading role in the partnership making his career-best 79 that came only off just 92 balls, which featured seven fours and three sixes.
When Shahadat joined Mashrafee Bangladesh were struggling at 149-8 and still needing 39 runs to avoid the follow-on.
Sachin Tendulkar bowled an extremely low delivery to end Shahadat’s brave 31-run adventure, but by then Bangladesh had reached 226. The dismissal also ended their record ninth wicket partnership, which surpassed the 74-run stand between Khaled Mashud and Tapash Baiyshya against West Indies at St Lucia in 2003. The way Mashrafee and Shahadat consolidated their innings, was a lesson for the specialist Bangladesh batsmen, most of whom threw their wickets.
Except for Javed Omar and Khaled Mashud, who could consider themselves unlucky lbw victims, all of the other batsmen were dismissed in reckless fashion. Habibul Bashar played a silly shot to be caught at first slip for a duck while Shahriar Nafees (32) followed him.
Mohammad Ashraful (5) was caught at gully by Dinesh Karthik brilliantly before Sakib al Hasan and Rajin Saleh gave the hosts some respite with a 56-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Earlier, Shahadat and Mashrafee took one wicket each to force India to declare their first innings adding just three runs to their overnight total. Shahdat removed Zaheer Khan to return with 3-76 in the first innings while his bowling partner removed Dhoni to take his tally to 4-97.