Mushfiqur left waiting at 99 on his 100th Test

On the fifth ball of the 90th over, Ireland's leg-spinner Gavin Hoey was paddle-swept by Mushfiqur Rahim. Although a second run was possible, he declined it. Liton Das defended the final ball. With Mushfiqur stranded on 99, discussions were already swirling about whether play might be extended so he could reach his century. But once the scheduled time had elapsed, the umpires refused to continue.

Stepping onto the field in Mirpur today, Mushfiqur inscribed his name into the history books. The second Test of the Bangladesh–Ireland series is his 100th Test match. As the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach this milestone, he came tantalisingly close to marking the opening day with a century. Instead, the umpires left him waiting. Bangladesh finished the first day on 292 for 4 after 90 overs. Liton remained unbeaten on 47. Mushfiqur will need just one run tomorrow, on the second morning, to become the 11th player in history to score a century in his 100th Test.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat in the second Test of the series. Openers Shadman Islam and Joy began just as a Test innings should—mixing aggression with solid defence. Their opening stand was broken at 52. Ireland's Andrew McBrine appealed for lbw against Shadman on the fourth ball of the 14th over. When the umpire declined, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie reviewed, and the review overturned the decision. Shadman departed for 35 off 44 balls, hitting six fours.

Like Shadman, Joy also fell in the 30s. After showing patience across 85 balls, he suddenly attempted a big shot. Off the first ball of the 26th over, he tried to loft McBrine but was caught at mid-off by Barry McCarthy, who is on as a substitute fielder in this match. Joy made 34 off 86 balls with two fours. Bangladesh then lost another wicket after a one-over gap. On the fourth ball of the 28th over, McBrine bowled Shanto (8) with a superb delivery; Shanto's innings included a six.

With Joy and Shanto both gone, Bangladesh were 95 for 3 in 27.4 overs. Playing his 100th Test, Mushfiqur came in at number five and steadied the innings with Mominul Haque. Bangladesh could have lost their fourth wicket on 159. On the fourth ball of the 51st over, left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys found Mominul's outside edge, but Paul Stirling failed to hold the catch. Mominul was on 49 at the time.