Ebadot puts Bangladesh in driving seat at Tea

Bangladesh pacer Ebadot Hossain picked up four wickets to reduce Afghanistan to 144-8 at tea break of the second day of their one-off Test match on Thursday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Ebadot’s fellow pacer Shoriful Islam got two wickets while spinners Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam got one wicket apiece.

In the second session Bangladesh picked up five wickets to push Afghan innings into the brink. Shoriful got rid of Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi for nine earlier in the session before Nasir Jamal and Afsar Zazai showed some resistance.

Miraz trapped Nasir in front for 35 before Ebadot removed Zazai, the highest scorer with 40 runs, three balls later.

Ebadot got his fourth when he forced Amir Hamza a catch at short leg while Taijul got his first dismissing Yamin Ahmadzai for a duck.

In the first session, Shoriful gave the breakthrough by picking opener Ibrahim Zadran for six when the score was 18 before Ebadot picking two more wickets in the eventful first session.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for just nine runs in the space of 22 balls to be bundled out for 328 runs. Bangladesh started the day looking for a big score as overnight batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan resumed with 41 and 43 respectively with the score of 362-5.

Afghanistan were banking on the new ball which they took in the second over of the day, 81st of the innings and their faster men did more than they might have expected.

Ahmadzai got rid of Mehidy for 48 when the latter poked a widish delivery to Amir Hamza at gully breaking the 83-run stand and opening the floodgate.

Rather than holding the fort, which he did last evening, experienced Mushfiq followed his partner in the next over when got out next over failing to mitigate a Nijat Masood short ball and becoming an easy catch at slip.

Taijul Islam was dismissed two balls later for a duck when he fended a short ball to forward short leg and Ahmadzai continued helping Masood when he trapped Taskin Ahmed for two in the next over.

Masood, who got a wicket in his first ball of the Test career on the first day, was the most impressive of the visiting bowlers and reaped rich reward when he cleaned up last man Shoriful Islam for six to complete his five-for.