Mehidy's five-for and Pakistan's 386 leave Bangladesh 34 ahead at stumps despite Awais's debut hundred
Bangladesh closed day three of the first Test in Mirpur 34 runs ahead with all ten second-innings wickets in hand after bowling Pakistan out for 386 and reaching 7 for 0 at stumps. Mehidy Hasan Miraz finished with a five-wicket haul, his 14th in Tests, and the visitors' first-innings hopes never quite recovered from the post-lunch collapse that took them from 210 for 1 to 230 for 5.
Azan Awais's debut century was the cornerstone of Pakistan's reply. The opener finished on 103 from 165 balls with 14 boundaries, joining a small group of Pakistan batters to reach a hundred on Test debut. Abdullah Fazal, who had walked off unbeaten on 37 the night before, pushed his score to 60 and looked set to anchor through the second new ball. He never quite did.
Mehidy and Taskin flip the day
Pakistan lost four wickets for 20 runs through the morning into the early afternoon, sliding from 210 for 1 to 230 for 5. Mehidy did the bulk of the damage with three of those, including an early lbw of Saud Shakeel and an uppish Fazal drive plucked at mid-on by Taijul Islam. Taskin Ahmed chipped in with two more, and the middle order folded around the all-rounder's spell. Captain Shan Masood was among the casualties, walking back for 9.
Rizwan and Salman steady, then Mehidy returns
Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha walked out with the innings teetering and put together the partnership that arrested the slide. Rizwan reached 59 before Taijul Islam pinned him on the stroke of tea, ending a 119-run sixth-wicket stand. Salman pushed on with the lower order to 58 before the off-spinner had him too. Once Mehidy had Salman, the tail did not last long, with the off-spinner closing out his 14th Test five-for and Pakistan packed up for 386.
Bangladesh's 413 still doing the heavy lifting
The first-innings total continues to set the parameters of this match. Najmul Hossain Shanto's 101 from 130 balls, his ninth Test hundred and the one that took him past Mushfiqur Rahim's record for most centuries by a Bangladesh Test captain, anchored the platform on day one. Mominul Haque fell agonisingly short on 91 after the pair added 170 for the third wicket, and Mushfiqur's 71 on day two stretched the innings to 413. Mohammad Abbas's 5 for 92 in 34 overs broke the resistance with the ball.
A hostile final hour and stumps in bad light
Bangladesh's openers Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Shadman Islam came out for a tense ten-minute session before bad light closed the day. Shaheen Shah Afridi's first over was sharp, Mohammad Abbas got nothing to swing for him, and Joy and Shadman survived 1.5 overs to leave Bangladesh 7 for 0 and 34 ahead overall.
What day four needs to deliver
Bangladesh resume on day four with the kind of cushion that lets the captain dictate the tempo. Push the lead past 200 on a turning pitch and the match will start asking awkward fourth-innings questions of Pakistan; falter early and the tourists, with Mehidy's day-three figures fresh in mind but the bowlers' own job done, will fancy chasing whatever number is set. The pitch has slowed without misbehaving so far. Day four will be the test of whether that holds.
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