A target of 290-300 would be highly competitive on this wicket: Mehidy

Bangladesh's all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz said the hosts could challenge Pakistan if they set a target in the 290-300 range in the first Test at Dhaka.

A superb five-wicket haul from Mehidy handed Bangladesh a valuable first-innings lead as they closed the day 34 runs ahead, with both openers unbeaten after 1.5 overs in their second innings.

"There are still two days left in the match. The result is currently hanging in a 50-50 situation because we haven't secured a massive lead yet," Mehidy told reporters.

"We must take responsibility while batting. If we can put up a minimum score that our bowlers can defend – perhaps around 290 or 300 runs – it would be a highly competitive total on this wicket," he said.

"Batting will become incredibly difficult on days four and five, so every batsman needs to take responsibility."

Bangladesh prepared a green-top for their pace bowlers but it was Mehidy who dominated with his disciplined spin bowling, picking 5-102 – his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

"There wasn't a lot of spin, but I tried to hit the right areas. That might have created some doubt in the batters' minds, making it easier to pick up wickets," said Miraz.

"My role initially was just to hit good areas. When I came on to bowl, we were slightly on the back foot. My job was strictly to contain the run flow."

"What Taskin and I did was bowl really well from both ends. We bowled as a partnership, which created pressure and forced them into making mistakes. Test cricket is exactly like this: as long as you bowl in good areas and restrict the batsmen from scoring, opportunities will arise."