Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored an unbeaten century to pull Bangladesh out of trouble on the opening day of their three day practice match against a Cricket Australia XI in Darwin on Thursday.
Bangladesh chose to bat first but struggled early. The top order failed to build partnerships and the team slipped to 110/6.
Miraz then took charge with a calm innings. The vice captain remained unbeaten on 109 from 141 balls and helped Bangladesh recover to 263 all out in 75.5 overs.
He received useful support from the lower order as Bangladesh avoided a much lower total.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made 37, while opener Shadman Islam added 31.
For the home side, off spinner Corey Rocchiccioli starred with the ball. He claimed six wickets for 83 runs to keep Bangladesh under pressure for most of the day.
Miraz’s century comes at an important time. Bangladesh will begin a two Test series against Australia later this month, and this is their only practice match before the series.
While the batting unit struggled for most of the innings, Miraz’s knock gave Bangladesh something positive to take from the opening day in Australian conditions.
