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Nathan takes the Lyon's share to keep Aussies in second Test

Does Steve Smith know Nathan Lyon is generally in his team? (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
4th September, 2017
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Offspinner Nathan Lyon claimed another five-wicket haul to shift the momentum Australia’s way on day one of an evenly-poised second Test in Chittagong.

Bangladesh went to stumps at 6-253, with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim unbeaten on 62 and Nasir Hossain on 19 not out.

Australia’s bowlers toiled in hot conditions for little reward after lunch as Mushfiqur and Shabbir Rahman brought the hosts back from the brink with a 105-run sixth-wicket partnership.

But when Australia took the new ball, Lyon claimed his fifth and arguably most important scalp, dismissing Shabbir on 66 courtesy of a brilliant stumping by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

Third umpire Aleem Dar was called in and replays showed it was an agonisingly close decision, with Shabbir’s back foot caught marginally behind the crease after he lost his footing.

It was a big moment for Wade considering Australia had strongly considered axing him and handing the gloves to part-timer Peter Handscomb.

For Lyon, it was the third consecutive Test and 11th overall in which he has claimed a five-wicket haul.

He finished with 5-77 off 28 overs, Ashton Agar took 1-46 and recalled left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe 0-70.

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Pat Cummins, Australia’s sole quick, finished with a tidy 0-33 off 17 overs, having briefly left the ground for treatment of a heat-related illness during the final session.

Allrounder Hilton Cartwright, who was brought in to replace dumped batsman Usman Khawaja, bowled five largely-ineffective overs of medium-pace to finish with 0-16.

“I think we bowled very well to start of the day in these conditions,” Lyon said.

“Patty felt the heat nice and early, and so did I, but I thought that we bowled okay.

“We probably got a little bit fatigued in the later end of the day and gave too many free hits away but at the end of the day, I thought it was a pretty good effort to take six wickets on a pretty docile wicket.”

With Shabbir batting aggressively at one end, the experienced Mushfiqur dug in his heels to set Bangladesh up for a respectable total after winning the toss and electing to bat.

In a first for Test cricket, Lyon dismissed each of Bangladesh’s top-four batsmen lbw, showing his subcontinent experience with excellent variations of pace on a flat and lifeless pitch.

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Danger man Tamim Iqbal (9) was the first to fall, trapped lbw in the 10th over.

Lyon soon had Imrul Kayes (4) dismissed the same way before dismissing Soumya Sarker with the final ball of the morning session to leave Bangladesh in trouble on 3-70.

Agar chipped in after lunch with the key wicket of Shakib Al Hasan (24), tempting the allrounder with a straight delivery which caught his edge and was taken by Wade.

But Bangladesh held the momentum for most of the final session before Lyon’s crucial breakthrough.

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