In a dramatic late evening collapse, Ireland found themselves in a tough spot, finishing at 4 for 24 and staring down the barrel of an innings defeat in the Test series opener against Bangladesh in Sylhet. Captain Najmul Shanto's impressive century and a quick-fire 60 from Litton Das only added to Ireland's troubles, as Bangladesh declared at a hefty 587/8. Hasan Murad then struck twice in quick succession, leaving the visitors reeling at 86/5 in their second innings, still 215 runs shy of forcing the hosts to bat again. Overnight batters Mahmudul Joy and Mominul Haque managed to add just two runs each to their scores before falling early on the third morning. Shanto formed a solid partnership, adding 79 runs for the fourth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim and another 98 with Litton. The Bangladesh wicketkeeper contributed a brisk 60 off 66 balls before the senior duo departed shortly after the team crossed the 500-run mark. Also Read | IPL 2026 Retention Rules, Deadline, and How to Watch Live Updates The lower order chipped in with valuable contributions, pushing the total to 587/8 before the declaration came, extending the lead to 301. The only bright spot for the visitors was Matthew Humphrey's impressive five-wicket haul, claiming four of the seven Bangladesh wickets that fell today. Nahid Rana made an early impact with the ball, cleaning up first-innings hero Cade Carmichael for just five runs. Paul Stirling (43) and Harry Tector (18) attempted to stabilize the innings with a 47-run partnership, but once that was broken, Ireland struggled to recover. In a surprising turn of events, Stirling was run out just seven runs short of a half-century. Taijul Islam then trapped Tector LBW shortly after. A brief partnership of 14 runs followed, but Murad dismissed both Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker for single-digit scores in the closing moments of play, leaving the Irish side with a daunting 215 runs still needed before they could force Bangladesh to bat again.