Pakistan versus Bangladesh is one of the most exciting rivalries in cricket. Both teams boast some of the greatest fast bowlers on Earth and their fans eagerly anticipate each matchup.
Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana gave Bangladesh a firm grip of the game during the final session of the second Test at Rawalpindi, as reflected in the Pakistan national cricket team vs Bangladesh national cricket team match scorecard.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh 1st Test
Pakistan’s batting woes persisted as they collapsed to 146 all out on the final day of the first Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. Bangladesh spinners shared seven wickets as they earned an emphatic victory; captain Najmul Hossain Shanto dedicated this one to those lost during recent political protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
On Day 5, Bangladesh were trailing by an overwhelming 117 runs; their bowlers’ disciplined effort proved enough to put the visitors off balance and they took full advantage.
Spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh claimed five wickets each to turn the tables on Pakistan. Utilizing an ideal pitch with plenty of turn and uneven bounce, both spinners took full advantage of its capabilities by using slow pace and deceptive bowling techniques that denied Pakistan batters the opportunity to score freely. Fast bowler Nahid Rana even reached speeds close to 150kmph to nab Babar Azam while Shakib used stump-to-stump lines from both sides as well as offbreaks from Mehidy’s quick offbreaks to keep Pakistan batsmen on their toes.
Bangladesh’s lower order batsmen made full use of the spinners’ offerings by scoring at an efficient pace. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy created a vital 163-run partnership for the seventh wicket to put their side in charge; Rahim achieved his fourth double century of the series as they gave Bangladesh a 118 run lead before bad light curtailed their final session.
Pakistan’s batsmen struggled against Bangladesh spinners and were punished for poor shot selection, only Mohammad Rizwan being able to score half a century before succumbing to defeat in three consecutive Tests after declaring their first innings at Dhaka on August 28. Never have they managed to beat Bangladesh; this loss marks Pakistan’s fifth failure from 14 attempts there.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test
Pakistan and Bangladesh made for an exciting second Test match. Following a wet-out Day 1, play resumed with Pakistan winning the toss and electing to bowl first, with opener Saim Ayub falling early but fifties from Shan Masood and Agha Salman helping stabilize their innings and secure Pakistan victory. However, their middle order struggled to capitalize and they fell short, while Bangladesh came back hard with Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz helping their cause.
Pakistan was ultimately undone by an efficient bowling attack from Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, two young pace bowlers who ran through Pakistan’s lineup and left them reeling at 172-6 before rain halted play with Bangladesh needing only 143 runs to secure victory away from home.
Mehidy Hasan to Shan Masood, Out! LbW! Mehidy throws a ball from around the stumps that Masood attempts to push away softly but loses control. The umpire raises his finger, signaling to end of innings for visitors.
Hasan Mahmud to Shan Masood: FOUR! Shan Masood has one for the movies! Staying back at fuller length from Mahmud, he attempts to hit it but misses its line and it lands to the right of deep mid off for two runs!
Mehidy Hasan to Babar Azam: FOUR! Bangladesh take a narrow 12 run lead. Babar has struggled for form recently – eight tests since his last half century – but gets another life when Shadman drops a regulation catch at slip to leave him on 11. But new man Mohammad Rizwan was on course for another duck until Shadman dropped an easy catch at first slip – then Taskin Ahmed dismissed Pakistan opener with loose shot at wide delivery from left-armer Taskin Ahmed.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh 3rd Test
After an intense day three in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh took charge of the final Test with a swift run-chase. Zakir Hasan set a rapid pace while Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz provided invaluable support. Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz formed an historic seventh wicket partnership of 150 runs; theirs is the only such stand since losing six wickets earlier. With just 12 runs remaining before an unprecedented series win on Pakistani soil can be accomplished.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz once again proved her mettle with the ball, bowling brilliantly to claim two early wickets and supported by Taskin Ahmed who claimed four. Bangladesh struggled after their strong start and found themselves 27/6 before Hasan Mahmud and Litton Das forged an outstanding 165-run partnership that saw them rebound successfully.
Hasan made their target seem reachable after an impressive innings from them and even the slight delay due to poor light didn’t derail them from making progress. Even after losing Litton who was looking strong, Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto managed to rotate strike effectively to keep moving the scoreboard forward.
Mominul and Shanto have proven themselves capable of scoring runs against Pakistan bowlers, and will hope that today goes without further setbacks.
Khurram Shahzad bowled a fuller delivery on the off stump line that Mominul Haque attempted to drive for a single through covers but missed and it flew straight through to short mid off fielder at short mid off, leading to an appeal for leg before wicket (LBW), confirmed by umpire and Pakistan ended their day 142/2 behind India by 153 runs with bad light and rain forecast to hamper any chances of dramatic end of match play. All is up for grabs on day four!
Pakistan vs Bangladesh 4th Test
Due to bad weather on Day 3, play was limited to a single session. Bangladesh got off to a slow start before two fifties from Saim Ayub and Shan Masood helped to stabilize their innings before Taskin Ahmed’s breakthrough led to collapsed innings from Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman respectively, followed by Hasan Mahmud striking twice quickly to remove their middle order and leave them with an target of 185 runs.
Pakistan’s bowlers worked tirelessly to deny Bangladesh runs on a flat surface, including Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Khurram Shahzad who struggled to take wickets; however it was Pakistan’s spinners that proved dominant as they bowled dot balls that reduced run-rate.
Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam made an aggressive start, yet Mohammad Ali should have caught him behind with an impressive length ball outside off, which appeared to strike Shadman Islam’s bottom edge and make contact. Unfortunately no appeal was raised and Shadman Islam continued his innings without further interruption from Mohammad Ali’s bowlers.
Bangladeshi batsmen showed incredible resilience by keeping on batting until the final over of the session, reaching 495-6 in 31 overs with an advantage of 117 over Pakistan batting first and Litton Das making an important cameo at one end while Mushfiqur Rahim at the other delivered a powerful performance by hitting seven half-centuries and recording his first century against Pakistan since 2009.
Hamza bowled him again and hit back by hitting six and four off successive deliveries, pushing one shot wide of third slip to reach fifty and complete his fifty. However, Najmul Hossain Shanto fell shortly afterwards when Hamza struck him down for another over packed with runs.
Bangladesh have won their series against Pakistan and become only the second team ever to do so, marking an historic whitewash victory. Najmul Hossain Shanto is visibly emotional at their triumph; he credits their pacers’ hard work and dedication as being fundamental in reaching this accomplishment.
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