CHENNAI: Bangladesh XI skipper Mohammad Mithun slammed an unbeaten 156 and helped his team post 349 for nine before the bowlers reduced Tamil Nadu Cricket Association XI to 82 for seven at stumps on the second day of their four-day match on Wednesday.
Resuming at overnight 230 for five, the visiting team was powered by some enterprising batting by Mithun, who added 82 runs to his first day score of 74.
He single-handedly took Bangladesh XI to a good score, continuing to find boundaries on a regular basis. He also hit eight sixes as the TN bowlers struggled to contain the right-handed batter.
For the home team, medium-pacer L Vignesh (4 for 65) and left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram (4 for 84) were the best bowlers. Vignesh, who had picked up three scalps on day one, added the wicket of Jaker Ali Anik (15).
Ajith Ram bowled 43 overs which included 17 maidens and grabbed four wickets including that of opener Mohammad Shadman Islam (89).
The Tamil Nadu batters, in contrast, struggled to make an impact. The openers N S Chaturved (7) and L Suryapprakash (5) were dismissed early. Captain B Indrajith (11), who was expected to be the mainstay of the home team's batting, fell to medium-pacer Rejaur Rahman Raja with the score at 34 for three.
Experienced batter M Kaushik Gandhi, who has a few first-class hundreds to his name, was castled by Rahman Raja for 10. Only left-handed batter Pradosh Ranjan Paul (28) defied the Bangladesh attack and scored three boundaries before falling to left-arm spinner Mohammad Taijul Islam.
Rahman Raja struck two more blows to leave Tamil Nadu at 82 for seven when play ended.
Brief scores: Bangladesh XI 230 for 5 in 84 overs (Mohammad Mithun 156 not out, 10X4, 8X6, Md. Shadman Islam 89 (194b, 9x4), Mohammad Saif Hasan 38, L Vignesh 4/65, S Ajith Ram 4/84) vs TNCA XI 82 for 7 in 40.2 overs (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 28, Rejaur Rahman Raja 4/17, Md. Taijul Islam two for 35
