Day 1 Stumps: Ireland -  270-8 after 90 Overs 

(Paul Stirling 60 Cade Carmichael 59; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-50, Hasan Murad 2-47)

A day that ebbed and flowed in the Sylhet sunshine ended with Bangladesh holding the edge, courtesy of a wicket off the final ball. Ireland, returning to Test cricket after nine months, had battled hard through a day of fluctuating fortunes and fading light, but debutant Jordan Neill’s dismissal on the last delivery tilted the balance slightly towards the hosts.

For Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie the day began with a small victory of winning the toss and opting to bat, a decision ensuring the visitors wouldn’t be batting last on what can be assumed will be a slow, low and a deteriorating pitch.

However, Balbirnie’s satisfaction of winning the toss was quickly replaced by disappointment, as he was pinned leg before wicket in the first over of the match.

In walked the much-talked-about Cade Carmichael, on debut with the scorecard reading 0 for 1 to accompany Paul Stirling, who was opening only for the second time in Test cricket.

The duo of Stirling and Carmichael turned the session around. Stirling, was typically aggressive through point and cover, bringing up his fifty from 67 balls. Carmichael, on his first outing in Test cricket, was more circumspect, happy to absorb pressure and rotate the strike. Both batters were handed early reprieves, with Bangladesh spilling three catches in successive overs, and they made the hosts pay by taking Ireland to 94 for 1 at lunch.

Bangladesh hit back after the break through Nahid Rana and Mehiy Hasan Miraz. Stirling fell early after a thick outside edge to a rapid 147 kmph delivery, while Harry Tector was trapped leg before wicket by Miraz after a successful review which saw Ireland slip to 99 for 3.

Carmichael prevented the collapse by staying at the crease scoring a magnificent debut fifty in the process showing incredible maturity. Giving him company was Curtis Campher, however, their 53-run stand was broken as the debutant fell for 59.

The inconsistent application of the UltraEdge technology did make a few heads turn following two key decisions. The dismissal of Carmichael, who was attempting a reverse sweep, was overturned from "not out" to "out" by the TV umpire based on a distinct UltraEdge spike. A decision the batter didn’t seem to have agreed to. The TV umpire based his decision on the absence of conclusive visual evidence showing the ball hitting or not hitting the bat. Earlier in the match, the wicket of Irish captain Balbernie presented a contrast: UltraEdge displayed spikes but the TV umpire prioritized the visual confirmation of daylight between bat and ball to uphold the 'out' decision.

For the 6th wicket, Curtis Campher entertained the crowd with two sixes and four boundaries towards his total of 44 before he fell to debutant Hasan Murad, who picked his first wicket in Test cricket. Campher was part of back to back 50+ run partnerships first with Carmichael then with Lorcan Tucker. However, Bangladesh spinners kept making inroads to stem Ireland’s flow.

Miraz and Murad foxed Tucker and Andy McBrine both were stumped by Litton Das as the visitors slipped to 222 for 7 with the match progressing towards the final hour of play.

For the eighth-wicket pair of Neill and Barry McCarthy resisted bravely for 17 overs in fading light, frustrating Bangladesh bowlers. McCarthy, who averages four in Tests, looked solid in defence and wafted his way to 21* while Neill showed composure well beyond his years. Their stand of 48 runs offered Ireland hope of ending the day even, until Neill fell on the final ball as Taijul Islam trapped him plumb in front giving Bangladesh a slender upper hand.

Despite that late breakthrough, Bangladesh will know they let Ireland off the hook with several dropped catches and missed chances through the day. For Ireland, the resilience of their debutants, Stirling’s 60 and some handy contributions in the middle order ensured they stayed in the contest, even if the final delivery left a sour taste to an otherwise gritty day’s work.