DARWIN, Australia (AP) — Mehidy Hasan Miraz spun Bangladesh to the verge of a famous victory as he claimed three wickets to have Australia at 243-7 at lunch on Day 4 of the first cricket test.
Resuming Sunday at 161-4, Australia added 82 runs for the session to avoid the ignominy of a home innings defeat to take a 15-run lead at the interval.
Only Cameron Green provided concerted resistance to the Bangladesh attack as he notched his eighth test half century, and highest score in Australia, on his way to 85 not out.
Mitchell Starc was 14 not out at the break, sharing a 36-run partnership with Green in what is likely Australia's last hope of turning the tide of the match.
But the result appears only delayed after another session where Bangladesh again comprehensively outplayed its more-fancied hosts.
Mehidy (4-50), who also claimed the wicket of Steve Smith late on Day 3 to turn the match decisively toward Bangladesh, picked up where he left off Sunday having Alex Carey (30) expertly caught behind by Litton Das.
Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 6-193, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed.
Pat Cummins' (8) stay was brief as he offered a catch to Hasan Miraz at short leg to give Mehidy his third wicket of the morning.
Starc and Green helped Australia erase the deficit in the half hour before lunch, with Green looking settled at the crease as the allrounder approached a possible third test century and first on home soil.
History is against Australia flipping this game on its head and claiming a miracle victory. The largest first-innings deficit Australia has come back from to win a home test was 206, when it trailed Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2010. The deficit here was 228 runs.
The two-test “Top End” series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.
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