DHAKA, Nov 22, 2025 (BSS) - Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam returned figures of 2-29 as Bangladesh reduced Ireland to 88-3 at tea on Day 4, leaving the visitors with an improbable task of chasing 509 runs for victory in the second and final cricket Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here today.

Harry Tector was batting on 25 alongside Curtis Campher on 10 at the second interval, with Ireland still needing a massive 421 runs in the remaining four sessions.

Taijul struck in just the sixth over of the chase, trapping Irish captain Andy Balbirnie leg-before for 13, a wicket that made him Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan's tally of 246. 

In his very next over, he dismissed Paul Stirling for 9, reducing Ireland to a perilous 26-2.

Cade Carmichael and Harry Tector then added 51 runs for the third wicket, offering brief resistance before left-arm spinner Hasan Murad broke the stand by removing Carmichael for 19.

Earlier, resuming the day at 156-1, Bangladesh lost two wickets in the space of six balls, with overnight opener Shadman Islam falling short of a well-deserved century. 

Shadman was dismissed for 78 in the fourth over of the morning when offspinner Andy McBrine trapped him leg-before with a delivery that turned sharply.

In the next over, Jordan Neill dismissed skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for 1 with a short-pitched delivery. Shanto, who made a century in the first Test, went through a disappointing match with single-digit scores in both innings despite run-fest by Bangladesh's top-order.

Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim then rebuilt with a composed yet attacking partnership. 

Ireland squandered a vital opportunity to break the stand when Mushfiqur, on 16, top-edged a slog sweep off McBrine, only for Cade Carmichael to drop a regulation catch at deep backward square.

The missed chance proved costly as the pair grew in confidence, adding 123 runs for the fourth wicket and pushing the lead beyond the 500-run mark.

Mushfiqur reached his 41st Test half-century off 78 balls, guiding a shorter delivery from Harry Tector to midwicket for a single. 

In doing so, he became only the second player after Ricky Ponting to score both a century and a fifty-plus knock in his 100th Test. Ponting struck twin centuries in his milestone match.

Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 53 when the declaration came.
 
Mominul, who made 63 in the first innings, missed out on a century after being deceived by a quicker ball from Gavin Hoye.

His dismissal prompted the early declaration, with the captain opting to give his bowlers ample time to claim the 10 wickets needed to complete a 2-0 series sweep.

Bangladesh had earlier posted 476 in their first innings before bowling out Ireland for 265 to take a mammoth 211-run lead.