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.
Mehidy fifty steers Bangladesh toward parity at 201-6
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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
Panja leading Japan’s challenge for another 1351 Turf Sprint
- Japan seeking fourth win in group 2 dash after a one-two finish at last year’s Saudi Cup weekend
RIYADH: Panja Tower (JPN) will line up in the group two $2-million 1351 Turf Sprint Presented by Qiddiya City as Japan aims for back-to-back victories in the race.
Japanese runners have claimed the contest three times in the past, including Ascoli Piceno (JPN) leading home a one-two 12 months ago. And the nation sends a strong challenge again with three in the field.
For Panja Tower, trained by Shinsuke Hashiguchi, it will be his second overseas campaign following last November’s fifth in the Golden Eagle at Randwick.
Highly regarded as a 2-year-old, Panja Tower captured the group two Keio Hai Nisai Stakes in his second career start in November 2024, defeating a field that included Shin Forever (US), who would go on to finish second in last year’s group three Saudi Derby.
“He’s already used to air travel, having experienced it on his previous trip to Australia, and this time he’s travelling alongside many other Japanese horses, so I think he’s been able to maintain a routine similar to back home,” Hashiguchi said.
“There’s been a bit of a gap since his last race, but there are absolutely no concerns. He’s been training well during this period and I feel he’s made good progress.
“This overseas campaign in Saudi Arabia had already been part of our plan even before the trip to Australia. Everything has gone well so far.”
Panja Tower was aimed at some major prizes over 1,600 meters, including the group one Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, but some early efforts cast a little doubt on his credentials as a top-class performer on the trip.
However, he bounced back in May, winning a close finish in the group one NHK Mile Cup to claim his first title at the highest level.
It was also the first Japan Racing Association group one prize for Hashiguchi, the son of Kojiro Hashiguchi, a former Japan Racing Association trainer renowned for numerous starts including the legendary Heart’s Cry (JPN).
Since opening his own training yard at the JRA Ritto Training Centre in 2015, Hashiguchi junior has also secured two other victories at the highest level outside the JRA division, in the JBC Sprint and Korea Sprint.
The name “Panja” is inspired by the famous lion character from the Japanese cartoon “Jungle Emperor Leo” and plays on a rearrangement of the word Japan.
The trainer was happy with what he saw from Panja Tower’s breeze on the dirt track on Wednesday and is hopeful the lion can roar again.
“Jockey Katsuma Sameshima rode him today, with instructions to go around four furlongs (800 meters) in about 52 seconds and I believed he ran around that time as instructed,” he said.
“He switched leads smoothly in the final stage and accelerated comfortably, so I thought he moved very well overall.”
