Play was briefly halted on the third morning of the second Test between Bangladesh and Ireland after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The incident occurred during the 56th over at around 10:38am local time, forcing players and officials to gather in the middle for approximately three minutes. Several spectators, including those in the media centre, rushed out of the stadium. Play resumed shortly after, though people were slow to return to their seats.
Despite the interruption, the session remained lively. Ireland reached lunch at 211 for 7, still trailing Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 476 by 265 runs. Lorcan Tucker led the fightback with a composed unbeaten 56, supported by Jordan Neill, who remained not out on 24. Early in the session, Tucker and debutant Stephen Doheny attacked confidently, striking regular boundaries. Tucker showcased elegant cover drives off Ebadot Hossain and Taijul Islam, while Doheny hit successive fours off Hasan Murad.
Momentum shifted after the earthquake delay. Taijul delivered a brilliant ball to bowl Doheny for 46 off 77 deliveries, before dismissing Andy McBrine for a first-ball duck in the very next delivery. Neill revived the innings late in the session with consecutive boundaries off Taijul, followed by further scoring shots against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Murad.
Earlier, Bangladesh laid a strong foundation with centuries from Litton Das (128 off 192) and Mushfiqur Rahim (106 off 214) in his 100th Test. Their innings was built on three consecutive century partnerships—107, 108, and 123 runs. Although the Ireland spinners applied pressure late on, with McBrine taking 6 for 109, Bangladesh’s substantial total has left Ireland with an uphill battle.
Leave a Reply