Bangladesh close in on victory as Mirpur Test heads to final day

Last month the black-soil wicket used for the Bangladesh–West Indies ODI series in Mirpur faced heavy criticism, with batters struggling to score runs. Just a month later, as Bangladesh and Ireland meet at the same venue for a Test match, the picture looks completely different. The result of the second Test in the series will have to wait until the final day.

In the first Test in Sylhet, Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, defeated Ireland by an innings and 47 runs. That four-day win gave Bangladesh a 1–0 lead in the series. Although the second Test in Mirpur has gone into a fifth day, a victory for Shanto's side now appears only a matter of time. Ireland ended the fourth day on 176 for 6 in their second innings, still needing 333 runs to win.

Bangladesh last won a Test in Mirpur that went to the fifth day back in 2018, beating Zimbabwe by 218 runs. That match is worth mentioning because it is the only time a Mirpur Test has gone to day five and ended in a Bangladesh win. Tomorrow, it looks set to happen for the second time.

Bangladesh began the fourth day on 156 for 1 after 37 overs in their second innings. They lost a wicket early in the day's fourth over, when Irish spinner Andy McBrine trapped Shadman Islam lbw with the second ball of the 41st over. Shadman made 78 off 119 balls with seven fours, ending a 54-run second-wicket stand with Mominul Haque. Coming in at number four, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fell for just 1.

Losing two quick wickets left Bangladesh at 174 for 3 in 41.1 overs. Mushfiqur Rahim, playing his 100th Test—the first Bangladeshi to reach the milestone—came in at number five. He could have been dismissed for 16 when he attempted a slog sweep off McBrine in the second ball of the 49th over, only for Cade Carmichael to drop a simple catch at deep backward square leg.

Given that reprieve, Mushfiqur went on to score 53. He and Mominul added 123 runs off 167 balls for the fourth wicket. Irish leg-spinner Gavin Hoey broke the stand by dismissing Mominul for 87 with the last ball of the 69th over. Bangladesh declared immediately at 297 for 4, setting a lead of 211 and taking their total for the match to 508.

Set a target of 509, Ireland slipped to 26 for 2 in 7.5 overs, with Taijul Islam removing both openers—Andrew Balbirnie (13) and Paul Stirling (9). Harry Tector and Cade Carmichael added 51 runs off 68 balls for the third wicket, before Hasan Murad broke the stand with the first ball of the 20th over, dismissing Carmichael for 19.

At 77 for 3, Curtis Campher came in to bat. He and Tector added 41 off 85 balls for the fourth wicket. Hasan Murad removed Tector for 50 to break the partnership. Playing in a traditional Test-match tempo, Ireland reached 163 for 6 in 49.5 overs.

Campher and Andy McBrine safely negotiated the final 25 balls of the day, remaining unbeaten on 34 and 11 respectively. Taijul has taken three wickets, with Hasan Murad and Syed Khaled Ahmed claiming two and one each.