'I love the argy-bargy': Tait enjoys Litton-Rizwan flashpoint

The final session of Day 4 of the second Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Sylhet on Tuesday was filled with tension, mind games and verbal exchanges as both sides rallied for control.

The drama unfolded during the 72nd over of Pakistan’s innings when batter Mohammad Rizwan and Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das suddenly halted play and got into a heated argument. Moments later, the reason behind the exchange became clear through the stump mic.

Rizwan had been slowing the game down throughout the session with repeated stoppages caused by cramps, back pain and unscheduled drinks breaks. Bangladesh’s players, desperate to maintain pressure while defending a target of 437, appeared increasingly frustrated by the interruptions.

After one such delay, Litton, speaking in broken Urdu so Rizwan could understand, was heard saying from behind the stumps: “The acting has started, brother.”

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto then joined in, saying: “Very good acting is going on, brother.”

Even veteran Mushfiqur Rahim later chimed in with: “The drama has begun.”

The situation was eventually calmed by the umpires, but the tension lingered for most of the session.

Although Bangladesh pace bowling coach Shaun Tait said he was unaware of the exact details of the exchanges, the Australian admitted he enjoyed the intensity.

“I don't know what was said but I enjoy it,” Tait said.

“I mean I'm Australian so yeah that probably says it all. I love it. I think there's got to be some argy-bargy. Not all the time -- you don't want to cross the line -- but you’ve got to have a bit of aggression.

“It’s a Test match, Bangladesh versus Pakistan. For the fans and for all of us, you want to see some passion in the game and players in a contest trying to get each other out while staying in the fight. So, I love it.”

Pakistan were wobbling at 162 for five before Tea while chasing a daunting 437-run target, raising the possibility of a fourth-day collapse. But Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha resisted with a crucial 134-run partnership that briefly threatened to take the game away from Bangladesh.

With time becoming a factor, Bangladesh pushed to attack quickly and force breakthroughs, while the Pakistan batters focused on slowing the tempo and batting out time.

Eventually, Taijul Islam broke the stand by dismissing Salman before quickly removing Hasan Ali to swing momentum back Bangladesh’s way.

Pakistan will head into the final day needing 121 more runs with three wickets in hand.