Darwin: Bangladesh maintains advantage as Australia resists on Day 3
Bangladesh bowlers make inroads
Bangladesh bowlers made significant progress on Day 3 of the Test match in Darwin, despite favourable batting conditions. They successfully navigated through the Australian top-order, positioning the game in their favour heading into Day 4. Australia concluded the day trailing by 67 runs with six wickets remaining.
The third innings commenced with Australia behind by 228 runs. Hasan Mahmud, a Bangladesh pacer, once again played a crucial role. Following his performance in the first innings, he struck twice with the new ball, dismissing Australian openers Jake Weatherald for a duck and Travis Head for 17, providing Bangladesh an early boost.
Marnus Labuschagne, with 31 runs, and Steve Smith, with 44 runs, managed to stabilise the innings for a period, applying themselves effectively to get Australia’s innings underway. However, Bangladesh’s spinners, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, intervened, accounting for both batsmen and further challenging Australia.
Australia’s resistance and Hazlewood’s milestone
All-rounder Cameron Green and wicket-keeper Alex Carey then held their ground, resisting Bangladesh’s probing bowling on a pitch conducive to batting. With six wickets still in hand, Australia aims to overcome the Bangladesh lead and establish a defendable total for the fourth innings as the pitch is expected to deteriorate.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s lower-order frustrated Australia by extending their lead beyond 153 runs to over 200. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s aggressive knock of 65 runs was supported by contributions from the lower-order as Australia sought wickets.
Among the Australian bowlers, Josh Hazlewood stood out, despite some fielding errors. He took an early wicket, dismissing Hasan Mahmud for 14 runs. The right-arm pacer also claimed the remaining Bangladesh batsmen on the third day, including Miraz. He finished with figures of 6/89, becoming the ninth Australian to reach the 300-wicket mark.
Hazlewood joined teammates Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Pat Cummins in the 300-wicket club. Among all Australians who have achieved this milestone, only Cummins, Glenn McGrath, and Dennis Lillee possess a better bowling average than Hazlewood’s 24.02. He remarked to Kayo Sports after his achievement that such milestones are not typically considered during play but are something to reflect on later, noting it was “pretty cool” to see his name alongside other notable players, including three of his current teammates.
Looking ahead to Day 4
Australia, currently the top-ranked Test nation, found themselves in a difficult position at 161 for four at stumps, still 67 runs adrift after Bangladesh’s batters posted 426 runs. A potential victory scenario for Bangladesh, which seemed unlikely just days prior, became more apparent after tea when Steve Smith was caught and bowled by all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 44 runs.
The dismissal of Smith left Australia struggling at 122 for four, prompting celebrations from the Bangladesh players on the Marrara Oval pitch. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed satisfaction with his team’s character and play over the past few days.
All eyes are now on all-rounder Green, who was 43 not out, and Carey, who was on 15. They face a significant challenge to rescue Australia from defeat. The Marrara Oval has been intensely hot, and Australia’s pace attack appeared fatigued after three consecutive days of play. Josh Hazlewood’s 6-89 on his return from injury and his 300th Test wicket, achieved by catching Miraz behind for 65 runs, were notable moments for Australia.
With important ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 points at stake, Bangladesh will aim to capitalise on their advantage early on Sunday.
Source: icc-cricket.com
