ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh made history on Tuesday, defeating Pakistan by six wickets in the rain-affected second Test at the Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi.
This back-to-back victory led Bangladesh to sweep the two-match Test series. Bangladesh’s cricketers Mushfiqur Rahim (22) and Shakib Al Hasan (21) were at the crease when their side created history by winning the Test series. This was just Bangladesh’s third series win outside home and first against Pakistan. Bangladesh had won the first Test by 10 wickets last week.
The two batters had joined hands at 153 for four after Abrar Ahmed had picked up his only wicket of the Test by dismissing Mominul Haque (34).
In the first Test, Mushfiqur had scored a gallant 191 to steer Bangladesh to a commanding 565 in the first innings, while Shakib had taken four wickets in the match, including three for 44 as Pakistan were spun out for 146.
For Pakistan, it was their sixth loss in 10 Tests at home since their 95 runs victory over South Africa on 8 February 2021, making it 1,303 days without a home Test win. Overall, it was Pakistan’s 11th loss in 23 Tests with eight wins since Hasan Ali’s 10-fer against Quinton de Kock’s side.
It was also Shan Masood’s fifth successive loss as Pakistan captain since taking over from Babar Azam for last year’s tour to Australia, while it was also a forgettable start for Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach. With Pakistan’s next Test against England at home on 7 October, Bangladesh have left Pakistan with a mountain to climb.
The series loss has also ended Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s next June. After seven Tests, Pakistan is languishing eighth in the nine-team table with 16 points.
Resuming their second innings at the overnight score of 42 for no loss in pursuit of 185 runs target, Bangladesh went for lunch at 122 for two and wrapped up the series a stroke before tea as rain stayed away whole day.
In the first session’s play, Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam were the batters to be dismissed, falling to Mir Hamza and Khurran Shahzad, respectively. Zakir was bowled on 40 after starting the day at 31, while Shadman added 15 runs to his overnight score of nine to depart after contributing 24 runs.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) then added a 57 runs partnership for the third wicket with Mominul to put Bangladesh on a course for a comfortable victory.
Litton Das, for his 138 runs in the first innings after Bangladesh had plummeted to 26 for six and six dismissals, was adjudged player of the match. Mehidy Hasan Miraz for his 155 runs in two innings and 10 wickets in the series was declared player of the series. Bangladesh’s Litton Das was declared the Player of the match while his team mate Mehidy Hasan Mirza was the Player of the series.
In a press conference after the game, Pakistani Skipper Shan Masood acknowledged areas for improvement, saying, “We need to work on our mental and physical fitness.”
He praised the opposition, noting, “We can’t afford a 10-month gap in playing red-ball cricket.” He also emphasized that if a re-ball cricket season would have been underway, then it had been easy to manage a player’s rest and rotation.
Bangladesh Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, accompanied by Mehidy Hasan, expressed hope that their victory would bring joy to the people of Bangladesh. “Cricket is emotional in our country, and I hope we can put smiles on our people’s faces.”
Shanto credited his team’s success to reading the conditions well and executing their bowling strategy effectively. “Every bowler did their job, and we believed we could make a comeback at any time.”
Mehidy Hasan shared his personal experience, admitting to initial nerves but focusing on positive play. “I tried to get good balls and runs, as it’s not an easy job. Negative thinking won’t work in these conditions.”
Scores in brief (day 5 of 5): Pakistan 274 all-out, 85.1 overs (Saim Ayub 58, Shan Masood 57, Salman Ali Agha 54, Babar Azam 31, Mohammad Rizwan 29; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-61, Taskin Ahmed 3-57) and 172 all-out, 46.4 overs (Salman Ali Agha 47 not out, Mohammad Rizwan 43, Shan Masood 28, Saim Ayub 20; Hasan Mahmud 5-43, Nahid Rana 4-44).
Bangladesh 262 all-out, 78.4 overs (Litton Das 138, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 78, Hasan Mahmud 13 not out; Khurram Shahzad 6-90, Salman Ali Agha 2-13, Mir Hamza 2-50) and 185-4, 56 overs, (Zakir Hasan 40, Najmul Hossain Shanto 38, Mominul Haque 34, Shadman Islam 24).
