Diving full stretch to his right, Litton Das held another jaw-dropping catch to dismiss Ikram Alikhil, leaving Afghanistan 203/4 at lunch on Tuesday.

Needing 276 more to win the Abu Dhabi Test, the hosts face the final two sessions with Bangladesh six wickets away.

Afghanistan resumed on 132/3, needing 347, with Sediqullah Atal on 35 and Hashmatullah Shahidi on 19. Bangladesh needed seven wickets to win, while Afghanistan had to bat through the day on a pitch that offered the bowlers little help.

Hashmatullah Shahidi’s morning ended early. A throw struck his leg as he ran a single with Atal in the 53rd over, and with the same leg troubling him since day four, he retired hurt on 20 off 33 balls with Afghanistan on 136/3.

Ikram Alikhil replaced him, and Bangladesh used up a review soon afterwards. Najmul Hossain Shanto challenged an lbw appeal turned down against Ikram off Ebadot, but ball-tracking showed a delivery with extra bounce passing well above the stumps, with Afghanistan on 151/3.

Atal reached a maiden Test fifty off 166 balls with a single off Ebadot, at 153/3 in 62 overs. He had held one end together since the start of the chase, and Afghanistan still needed 326 runs to win while Bangladesh waited for a breakthrough.

The spinners were still wicketless when Atal hit Taijul Islam for six to bring up a fifty stand with Ikram off 117 balls. His bat then slipped from his hands and landed behind the stumps, narrowly avoiding a hit-wicket dismissal.

Ebadot Hossain ended the partnership in the 78th over by banging in a short ball at Ikram, who tried to pull and gloved it behind. Litton dived almost parallel to the ground to his right and held a stunning catch.

Ikram made 33 from 69 balls, with five fours, and his exit ended a 66-run stand off 147 balls with Sediqullah Atal.

It gave Ebadot Hossain his third wicket of the innings and it was also Litton’s ninth dismissal of the match, extending the Bangladesh record he had already taken from Khaled Mashud, whose seven against Zimbabwe in February 2004 had stood until day four.

All four Afghan second-innings dismissals have gone to his gloves.

Sediqullah Atal went to lunch unbeaten on 66 from 216 balls, with two fours and three sixes. Ismat Alam, the new batter, had survived nine balls without scoring.