DARWIN, Australia (AP) 鈥� Tanzid Hasan posted his maiden century in just his second test to help guide Bangladesh to 351-6 at stumps Friday and into commanding position over top-ranked Australia after two days of the Top End series opener.
Tanzid raised his hundred with a single off Nathan Lyon from 188 deliveries but after a patient and resilient innings, he added just one more run before lofting a ball from the veteran Australian spinner to Mitchell Starc at long-off soon after.
He survived two dropped chances and shared two big, important partnerships to set No. 9-ranked Bangladesh on course for a big first-inning lead. Tanzid combined with Mominul Haque (49) in a 102-run second-wicket stand and 93 with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for the third.
Shanto went on to score 84 from 126 deliveries before he was one of the three wickets to fall in a four-over period soon after the Australians took the second new ball.
, 102 behind on the first innings after dismissing Australia for 198, and finished Day 2 with a 153-run lead and four wickets in hand.
Tanzid said he curbed his attacking instinct and 鈥淚 did what the team required.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 describe it in words but it is very special for me,鈥� he said of his 101. 鈥淚 was trying to play normal cricket, and keep calm.鈥�
In their first test on Australian soil since 2003, the Bangladesh players were just as disciplined with the bat as they were with the ball on the opening day.
Mehidy Hassan Miraz (32) and Hasan Mahmud (13) shared a 43-run unbroken partnership 鈥� surviving a dropped catch on the last ball of the day 鈥� for the seventh wicket to get Bangladesh to stumps in the kind of position that few expected ahead of the series.
The reunion of Australia鈥檚 so-called Big Four 鈥� pacemen and veteran off-spinner has so far been blunted by the visiting batters in the warm, tropical conditions of far north Australia.
鈥淭hey batted really well,鈥� Australia opening batter Jake Weatherald said in a post-stumps TV interview. 鈥淲e obviously missed a few chances but credit to them, they batted really well.鈥�
鈥淥bviously the wicket has changed quite a lot from our first innings compared to today,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to get out there, it looks like a really good track to bat on now.鈥�
The two-test 鈥淭op End鈥� series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to , India and England.
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