Captain andy balbirnie

Shere Bangla National Stadium: Centuries by seasoned batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das propelled Bangladesh to a strong position on the second day of the second Test, before the hosts’ spinners reduced Ireland to 98 for 5 in reply to the home side’s 476 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Thursday.

Mushfiqur, unbeaten on 99 overnight, became only the eleventh batter to score a hundred in his 100th Test, bringing up his 13th century with a single off the ninth ball of the day. He added only a few more before falling for 106, caught at second slip off debutant Matthew Humphreys.

Litton later reached his own century in the first session, taking a bold route with a six and a four through the nineties. His partnership with Mushfiqur, worth 123 runs for the sixth wicket, completed Bangladesh’s third century stand in a row.