Central Zone tightened the noose around Bangladesh by bowling out the visitors for 146 in the first innings and batting themselves to a position of strength on the third day of the Duleep Trophy cricket match in New Delhi on Thrusday.

Bangladesh, resuming at 117 for six, could add just 29 runs to their overnigth score before being bowled out. Salabh Srivastava was instrumental in packing off the visitors, taking four for 33.

Central then rode on Sanjay Bangar's unbeaten 91 to reach 212 for six at stumps, taking their overall lead to 417.

At close, Murali Kartik was giving company to Bangar on five.

A five-wicket haul by medium pacer Aftab Ahmed (5-28) was not enough to stop the hosts from taking a firm grip on the match. With a mammoth lead under their belt, Central would go for the killer punch on the final day on Friday.

Central Zone Opener Amit Pagnis, quite like the first innings, did not last long as he lost his wicket after making 15 in 41 minutes. He added 21 with Bangar before Anwar Hussain dismissed him, caught by Talha Jubair.

First down Devedra Bundela (53) came up with his second fifty of the match, following his 83 in the first innings, and was the dominant partner in the 76-run stand with Bangar.

But his dismissal at total score of 97 saw Central suffering a collapse as half of the side was back in the pavilion with addition of just six runs.

Infact, three wickets -- first innings centurion Abbas Ali, captain J P Yadav and wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha -- fell on the same score 103 and all of them failed to open their account.

A-86 run partnership between Bangar and Nikhil Doru (29) put the team back on track before Aftab claimed his fifth victim among the lower order batsman.

Earlier, Manjural Islam Rana took his personal score to 47 before felling to Harvinder Singh. Srivatsava accounted for the other three Bangla batsmen to fell in the morning session.

Scorecard

Central Zone 1st innings: 351

BCB XI 1st innings
Al Sahariar c Pagnis b Harvinder Singh 0
Nafis Iqbal lbw b Srivastava 0
Aftab Ahmed c Abbas Ali b Yadav 18
Mohammad Ashraful c Abbas Ali b Yadav 30
Alok Kapali lbw b Yadav 12
Manjural Islam Rana c Parida b Harvinder Singh 47
Saghir Hossain st Ojha b Kartik 16
Abdur Razzak c Ojha b Srivastava 12
Anwar Hossain Monir lbw b Srivastava 0
Nazmul Hossain c Ojha b Srivastava 4
Talha Jubair not out 0

Extras (b 4, nb 3) 7

Total (all out, 55.4 overs, 242 mins) 146

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-52, 4-61, 5-66, 6-108, 7-136, 8-136, 9-142, 10-146

Bowling: Harvinder Singh 13-3-45-2, Srivastava 11.4-2-33-4, Yadav 14-7-29-3, Bangar 9-2-23-0, Kartik 5-2-8-1, Parida 3-1-4-0.

Central Zone 2nd innings
Amit Pagnis c Talha Jubair b Anwar Hossain Monir 15
Sanjay Bangar not out 91
Devendra Bundela c Saghir Hossain b Aftab Ahmed  53
S Abbas Ali c & b Aftab Ahmed 0
J P Yadav c Saghir Hossain b Aftab Ahmed 0
Naman Ojha c Nazmul Hossain   b Aftab Ahmed 0
Nikhil Doru c Saghir Hossain b Aftab Ahmed 29
M Kartik not out 5

Extras (b 7, lb 5, w 6, nb 1) 19

Total (6 wickets, 79 overs) 212

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-97, 3-103, 4-103, 5-103, 6-189.

Bowling: Anwar Hossain Monir 13-6-33-1, Talha Jubair 3-0-14-0, Aftab Ahmed 18-9-28-5, Manjural Islam Rana 14-1-34-0, Abdur Razzak 26-5-66-0, Mohammad Ashraful 2-0-12-0, Alok Kapali 3-0-13-0.