The visitors now trail by 378 runs and face a steep climb to avoid a follow-on.
The day belonged largely to Bangladesh’s batting engine room. Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das produced a pair of masterful centuries to put the hosts in a dominant position.
Mushfiqur crafted a patient 106 off 214 balls, while Litton’s fluent 128 from 192 deliveries added further weight to the innings. The duo’s 108-run stand formed the backbone of Bangladesh’s total.
Mushfiq stormed into the record books as the right-handed batter celebrated his 100th Test with a hard-fought century.
Resuming on 99 not out from Day 1, Mushfiq continued his innings on the second morning with Litton at the other end.
He reached the landmark on the 9th ball of the day, becoming only the 11th batter in Test history to score a century in his 100th match.
Earlier, Mahmudul Hasan Joy (34), Shadman Islam (35), and Mominul Haque (63) ensured a steady foundation, even as Ireland’s Andy McBrine toiled tirelessly to return impressive figures of 6 for 109 from 33.1 overs.
Matthew Humphreys (2 for 151) and Gavin Hoey (2 for 115) chipped in with valuable wickets but struggled to contain the scoring over long spells.
In reply, Ireland’s innings faltered after a brisk start from Paul Stirling, who struck 27 off 26 balls before falling lbw to Khaled Ahmed.
Captain Andy Balbirnie fought hard for his 21 but Ireland kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Hasan Murad made immediate impact with the ball, striking twice to leave the visitors reeling at 84 for 4.
Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz added one wicket each as Bangladesh’s spinners began to dominate.
Lorcan Tucker (11*) and Stephen Doheny (2*) survived till stumps, but with only five wickets in hand and a huge deficit ahead, Ireland will need a near-miracle to stay competitive in the match.
