Mehidy fifty steers Bangladesh toward parity at 201-6

All-rounder Mehidy was 55 not out at the break in Mirpur, bringing up his half-century off 92 balls and hitting seven fours and a six. Jaker was still there on 30. (REUTERS)

• All-rounder Mehidy was 55 not out at the break in Mirpur, bringing up his half-century off 92 balls and hitting seven fours and a six. Jaker was still there on 30

MIRPUR: Mehidy Hasan Miraz and debutant Jaker Ali put on an unbroken 89 for the seventh wicket stand to steer Bangladesh to 201-6 at lunch on day three of the first Test against South Africa on Wednesday.
All-rounder Mehidy was 55 not out at the break in Mirpur, bringing up his half-century off 92 balls and hitting seven fours and a six. Jaker was still there on 30.
Bangladesh resumed at 101-3, needing 202 to make South Africa bat again, and were staring at an innings defeat when they lost three wickets for only 11 runs at the start of the session to be 112-6
Pace bowler Kagiso Rabada took advantage of overcast conditions to take two wickets in three balls during the fifth over.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy departed after making 40 when his attempted drive found a thick edge to first slip, where David Bedingham took the catch.
Rabada’s fourth wicket of the innings came two balls later as he sent Mushfiqur Rahim’s middle stump cartwheeling out of the ground with a full delivery that nipped back. The right-hander had made 33.
Wicketkeeper Litton Das followed for just seven as he edged a sharply turning delivery from Keshav Maharaj to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and the dismissal was confirmed as caught on review, after an initial shout for lbw.
South Africa scored 308 in their first innings on Tuesday, powered by Verreynne’s second Test century, in reply to Bangladesh’s 106 all out on the first day.
Bangladesh are yet to win a Test against South Africa. The second and final match of the series begins on October 29 in Chattogram.