Mehidy Miraz scores half-century as Australia apply pressure on Day 3 of 1st Test
Mehidy Hasan Miraz reached his 10th Test half-century as Bangladesh resumed on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia, with live commentary tracking a combative session involving Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.
Josh Hazlewood removed Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam in the first session, and at drinks the coverage noted Bangladesh led by 182 runs; Mitchell Starc returned to the attack with figures of 25-3-71-2 so far, while Pat Cummins’s figures were listed as (23-4-57-1). Nathan Lyon was brought into the attack by Cummins for the first time on Day 3 and chipped in with maiden overs.
Miraz reached his half-century from a full delivery on middle and leg that he punched to long on for a couple, the commentary explicitly calling it his 10th half-century in Test cricket and noting that he raised his bat to acknowledge it.
Mitchell Starc produced at least one over in which he overstepped, recorded in the commentary as a NO BALL, and Pat Cummins also bowled a NO BALL later in the sequence; Australia used a DRS review after a faint appeal for Miraz, with UltraEdge showing nothing and the review being unsuccessful.
Nathan Lyon’s spells included multiple maidens, with specific deliveries to Taskin Ahmed described as a slider, flighted deliveries and a fuller ball that Taskin tucks to mid-wicket; Lyon also bowled to Miraz, who took singles and defended spin deliveries through the off-side.
Starc returned with several probing short and good-length deliveries, including a perfect yorker that narrowly beat Miraz’s outside edge, and Hazlewood produced a sequence in which a short ball induced a fat top edge off Miraz that flew over the keeper for four, an event the commentary highlighted and noted as impacting the lead.
The live updates recorded that Miraz remained a key resistant figure for Bangladesh and would be hoping to add another 20-30 runs alongside the tail, and that with Bangladesh leading by 182 runs the Australians would be hoping to bundle them out before 400.
