Fatullah, April 10:

Mighty Australia faced the embarrassing prospect of having to follow on against Bangladesh after another stellar performance by the home side in the first Test here on Monday.

Bangladesh had reduced Australia to 145-6 by stumps on the second day after scoring 427. The visitors need another 83 to avoid the follow-on.

Adam Gilchrist (51) and Brett Lee (13) were not out as Bangladesh’s spinners held centre-stage after Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill had produced his best performance in Tests.

The ball kept low when they came in to bat and Bangladesh’s left-arm spin-pair of Mohammad Rafique and Enamul Haque struck telling blows after early breakthroughs by the new-ball bowlers.

Rafique bowled Damien Martyn (four) with a ball that skidded through and then castled opener Michael Hussey (23) between bat and pad.

Haque bowled Michael Clarke (19) and had Shane Warne (six) caught behind by Khaled Mashud as the visiting side fell to 93-6.

Gilchrist’s brisk 74-ball knock, including seven fours and two sixes, was the lone bright spot for Australia after the early collapse. The slide started when opener Matthew Hayden (six) was trapped leg-before by Mashrafe bin Mortaza. Captain Ricky Ponting fell similarly to another paceman Shahadat Hossain, the ball keeping low on both occasions.

MacGill returned a career-best haul of 8-108, bagging all five remaining wickets on Monday to restrict Bangladesh after they resumed on 355-5.

Bangladesh crossed 400 in Tests for only the fourth time. It was their second best total after 488 against Zimbabwe last year during their only Test win.

Bangladesh’s total threatened to inflate further after they lost just one wicket in the morning session, but MacGill bowled a tight line and length to run through the batting. His haul included Rajin Saleh (67), Khaled Mashud (17) and Mohammad Rafique (6) and bettered his previous best of 7-50 against England in 1999. It was MacGill’s fourth five-for against Bangladesh in five innings. He had finished with 17 scalps in their only previous series of two Tests, both of which Bangladesh lost by innings margins.

Warne was out of action with a sore shoulder and did not bowl on Monday.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s overnight pair of Saleh and Mashud saw off the threat of the second new ball, carefully ignoring deliveries outside the off stump.

Saleh, who made his fifth half-century in 16 Tests, was lucky to survive a chance on 48 when Jason Gillespie dropped an easy return catch.

SCOREBOARD

BANGLADESH — 1st Innings (overnight 355/5)

R Saleh c Symonds b MacGill 67

K Mashud st Gilchrist b MacGill 17

M Rafique b MacGill 6

M Mortaza lbw b MacGill 6

S Hossain not out 3

E Haque c Hayden b MacGill 0

Extras: 29 (lb16, w2, nb11)

Total: 427

FoW: 1-51, 2-238, 3-265, 4-295, 5-351, 6-398, 7-416, 8-418, 9-424

Australia bowling: Lee 19-5-68-0, Clark 25-4-69-0, Gillespie 23-7-47-2, Warne 20-1-112-0, MacGill 33.3-2-108-8, Clarke 3-0-7-0

AUSTRALIA —1st Innings

M Hayden lbw b Mortaza 6

M Hussey b Rafique 23

R Ponting lbw b Hossain 21

D Martyn b Rafique 4

M Clarke b Haque 19

A Gilchrist not out 51

S Warne c Mashud b Haque 6

B Lee not out 13

Extras: 2 (lb2)

Total: 145/6

FoW: 1-6, 2-43, 3-50, 4-61, 5-79, 6-93

Bangladesg bowling: Mortaza 15-2-41-1, Hossain 10-2-33-1, Rafique 17-5-40-2, Haque 9-3-18-2, Ashraful 1-0-11-0