MIRPUR — Old soldiers never fade; they nurdle. Mushfiqur Rahim, 38 years young and 92 Tests wise, ground out an unbeaten 67 off 180 balls to put Bangladesh firmly in command on day three of the second Test, extending the lead to 192 with six wickets in hand.
On a spiteful turner where 14 wickets had fallen to spin, Mushfiq was a monk — padding, prodding, sweeping only the truly rank ball. At the other end, Liton Das played the poet, his 41 not out studded with three cover drives that had even the Sri Lankan slip cordon applauding.
'Mushy bhai told me: this pitch rewards patience, punishes pride. So I left my pride in the dressing room,' Liton grinned at stumps. Sri Lanka's captain admitted his side was 'out-skilled in the fourth-innings mindset'.
With the crowd chanting 'Bangladesh! Bangladesh!' and the Sher-e-Bangla press box already calculating World Test Championship permutations, day four promises a cracker. Bangladesh have never beaten Sri Lanka in consecutive home Tests. History, like Mushfiq, is refusing to budge.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Sports Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
