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Ahead of the upcoming Test series against Australia, Bangladesh found themselves on the brink of a major batting collapse during their only warm-up match.
However, amidst the falling wickets, Test vice-captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz stood tall as a solitary wall of resistance, rescuing the team with a brilliant unbeaten century to lead them to a respectable total.
Playing against the Cricket Australia XI at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin, Bangladesh were bowled out for 263 runs in their first innings. Miraz delivered the standout performance of the innings, staying unbeaten on 109 off 141 balls, a knock feature-packed with 11 boundaries and 4 maximums.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Bangladesh suffered an early blow when opener Tanjid Hasan Tamim was dismissed for a duck in just the third over.
Sadman Islam and Mominul Haque tried to rebuild the innings, but their efforts were cut short before turning into a substantial partnership; Sadman departed for 31, while Mominul managed 16.
The pressure mounted on the visitors when veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim fell without scoring. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto staged a brief fightback with 37 runs, but Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals at the other end. When Amit Hasan was dismissed for 15, the side found themselves in deep trouble at 110 for 6.
Miraz then teamed up with Soumya Sarkar to construct a 48-run partnership. However, Soumya’s dismissal for 16 brought the pressure right back onto Bangladesh. With Taijul Islam (10) and Hasan Mahmud (4) falling quickly, the team faced the grim prospect of being bundled out under the 200-run mark.
Refusing to surrender, Miraz launched a heroic counter-attack alongside tailender Khaled Ahmed. The pair forged a vital 69-run partnership off 73 balls for the ninth wicket, pushing the team total past 250. Although Khaled was eventually dismissed for 15, Miraz held his ground at the other end to reach a spectacular, hard-fought century.
For the Cricket Australia XI, off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli was the pick of the bowlers, tearing through the lineup to claim 6 wickets for 83 runs.
While the top-order collapse raises concerns ahead of the main Test series, Miraz’s resilient and responsible century provides a bright, positive spark for Bangladesh.