Bangladesh inched closer to victory in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi after striking thrice, leaving their opponents stuttering in pursuit of a mammoth target. Litton Das’s ton helped Bangladesh declare at 372/7 on the fourth day, meaning Afghanistan faced a daunting target of 479. While Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah put up a brave fight, Afghanistan still lost three wickets before stumps, needing 347 runs on the final day.
Any chance Afghanistan had to keep the target well below 400 rested on their bowlers continuing the good work that saw them strike thrice late on the third day that saw Bangladesh go from 212/3 to 223/6. However, it was one-way traffic from the start on the fourth day as Litton kickstarted the morning session with a boundary each in the first two overs. Litton also received a couple of reprieves early in the day and he took full toll of it to punish the bowling side alongside Mehidy Hasan. The boundaries started flowing after Afghanistan took the second new ball as Litton brought up a brisk half-century.
Mehidy also picked up a couple of boundaries after the drinks break to pile on the pressure as Afghanistan struggled to find a breakthrough. With the lead going well past 400, Bangladesh were totally in control. Post the lunch break, it was all about Litton as he inched closer to his ton. Immediately after Mehidy brought up a fifty, Litton reached three figures in the very next over. Three balls later, a top edge brought his downfall, which immediately prompted Najmul Hossain to signal the declaration.
To make matters worse for Afghanistan, Bangladesh took just seven balls to strike in the chase as Ebadot Hossain got one to move away from Abdul Malik who nicked it behind to the keeper. Shahidullah Kamal looked to break the shackles with a few boundaries but his approach led to his downfall as he got an under edge through to the keeper while attempting a pull. At 28/2, Afghanistan found themselves in deep trouble before Atal and Rahmat steadied the ship. Both batters showcased tremendous patience while also making use of the scoring opportunities.
After the Tea break, Rahmat was dropped at first slip as both batters went into a shell in order to preserve their wickets. Rahmat finally broke free with a boundary through covers and Atal at the other end took on Taijul Islam for a big one over long off. The two batters continued to keep Bangladesh at bay for a significant period of time and appeared to bat through to the end of the day’s play. But Bangladesh received a massive boost before stumps when Rahmat, who had just brought up his fifty, edged Ebadot behind to fall for 51. While Hashmatullah Shahidi and Atal then guided Afghanistan through to stumps without losing another wicket, a tall order awaits them on the final day.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 240 & 132/3 (Rahmat Shah 51, Sediqullah Atal 35*; Ebadot Hossain 2-32) need another 347 runs vs Bangladesh 346 & 372/7d (Litton Das 102, Najmul Hossain 82; Mohammad Safi 2-69)
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