Ireland's trial by spin will continue on day three of the Dhaka Test but it will be a huge challenge just to avoid an innings defeat.

It needed the skill of Harry Tector - four scoring strokes from 40 balls so far - and PJ Moor - to get Ireland to the close of day two with only four wickets down after a horror start to their second innings when Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and Taijull Islam each took two wickets with only 13 runs on the board.

Ireland will resume still 128 in arrears but know if they can get through the first session they can then have more positive thoughts than survival.

The first innings deficit of 155 threatened to be a lot worse midway through the day with Ireland leaking runs in excess of five an over and struggling to take wickets but Andy McBrine converted figures of two for 99 after 20 overs into six for 118 from 28 to give the North West Warriors captain the best figures by an Ireland bowler in Tests, surpassing Tim Murtagh’s famous five wicket-haul on the first morning at Lord’s in 2019.

Mark Adair had struck early with the wicket of Mominul Haque in the third over of the day but that was to be Ireland’s last success until half an hour after lunch as Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim put on 159 for the fourth wicket – the biggest partnership conceded by Ireland in Test cricket.

It was no surprise that so many runs were added, - after all, here were two batsmen with more than 150 Test appearances and 9.500 runs between them – but the pace of scoring was alarming. It took them just 31 overs with the Ireland bowlers far too inconsistent and a boundary ball every over.

The only bowler who could contain them was Graham Hume, but he was restricted to just eight overs in the day as he was continually cramping up.

It was McBrine who made the breakthrough, Shakib caught behind 13 short of his century, but Litton Das maintained the charge with eight boundaries in his 43 off just 41 balls.

Just after Mushfiqur brought up his 10th Test century, Das should have been run out but Lorcan Tucker fumbled Tector’s good throw with the batsman stranded halfway down the pitch. Fortunately for the keeper, Das presented Ben White with his maiden first-class wicket, driving his next ball straight to Tector at extra cover and Bangladesh were 286 for five.

Another 30 runs were added before tea but in his second over after the break, McBrine found his line and length and took the next four wickets for 11 runs in 26 balls, including Mushfiqur for a superb 126. He missed out on a magnificent seven because White claimed the last wicket, thanks to a smart bit of stumping by Tucker but at that stage, Ireland were more than content with an impressive second half of the day.

They couldn’t keep it going with the bat, however, as Bangladesh, to no-one’s surprise, opened up with spin. Shakib, who didn’t bring himself on until the 66th over in the first innings, took the new ball this time and after four overs he had dismissed James McCollum, given out first ball by the TV umpire after Shakib asked for a review, and Curtis Campher who reviewed a caught behind but ultra-edge showed the faintest touch.

In between, Taijul added two wickets to his five in the first innings. Murray Commins was adjudged leg before, the decision going against him on the ‘umpire’s call’, while Andrew Balbirnie looked all at sea against the slow left armer’s first over and although he survived it, two balls later was bowled.

Bangladesh bowled one over of pace in the 17 overs they had at Ireland before the close – Moor helped himself to a four and it was straight back to spin. There will be plenty more on Wednesday.