Bangladesh humble Pakistan by six wickets to sweep Test series 2-0

Staff Report

 RAWALPINDI: Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the second Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at Rawalpindi Stadium here on Tuesday. Zakir Hasan (40), Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) and Mominul Haq (34) chipped in with useful cameos as Bangladesh chased down the 185-run victory target with more than a session left in the game. Chasing 185 to win, the visitors inched their way to the target for the loss of four wickets, 25 minutes before tea on the fifth and final day to complete a 2-0 series sweep. At the start of play on the fifth and final day of the match, Bangladesh resumed their innings at 42-0 in pursuit of their 185-run target. Pakistan got the first breakthrough after 16 runs were added when Mir Hamza bowled Hasan with a delivery that moved away.

Fellow pace bowler Khurram Shahzad got in on the act when Shadman Islam miscued a drive, chipping to Shan at mid-off. However, a lack of further breakthroughs and the shallow target meant that Bangladesh tightened their grip on the match and the series, reaching the 100-run mark in the 29th over. Najmul Hossain Shanto on 33 and Mominul Haque, 20, dug in to stop any further inroads with the captain bringing up their fifty partnership off the last ball before lunch. Shanto fell after the lunch break and Mominul threw away his wicket but veterans Mushfiqur Rahim, who made 22 not out, and Shakib Al Hasan guided Bangladesh home without any drama.

Shakib, who finished 21 not out, sealed the victory by hitting spinner Abrar Ahmed for four through the covers. Bangladesh leads the two-match series 1-0 after a surprise win in Rawalpindi last month, their first in 14 tests against Pakistan. They have only won two series away from home — against the West Indies in 2009 and Zimbabwe in 2021. On the fourth day of the match on Monday, Hasan Mahmud took 5-43 while Nahid added 4-44 — both career-best figures — in dismissing Pakistan for 172 in their second innings and visiting openers Hasan and Islam raced to 42 without loss — with Zakir hitting two sixes and two boundaries — before rain clouds gathered and bad light suspended play one over after the tea break. The rain-affected Test saw Friday’s first day’s play washed out and then a remarkable fightback by Bangladesh on Sunday. The visitors were 26-6 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 274 before Liton Das (138) put together a seventh-wicket partnership of 165 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78) that enabled Bangladesh to reach 262.

Pakistan took their overnight score of 9-2 to 47-2 in 10 overs on Monday before Bangladesh broke through with a spell of three wickets for 18 runs. Saim Ayub fell for 20 to a brilliant catch by Najmul Hossain at mid-off as the opener failed to keep down a drive off fast bowler Taskin Ahmed. Nahid then had Pakistan skipper Masood caught behind by Liton off a wild shot before getting the prized wicket of Azam, caught at slip off a sharp delivery in his next over. Nahid grabbed his third by dismissing Shakeel and went to lunch with figures of 3-22 off five overs.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN 1ST INNINGS 274

BANGLADESH 1ST INNINGS 262

PAKISTAN 2ND INNINGS 172

BANGLADESH 2ND INNINGS (target 185 runs)

Zakir Hasan b Hamza     40

Shadman Islam c Shan b Khurram      24

Najmul Hossain Shanto c Abdullah b Salman        38

Mominul Haque c Saim b Abrar         34

Mushfiqur Rahim not out 22

Shakib Al Hasan not out 21

Did not bat: Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana

EXTRAS (B 1, LB 4, NB 1)     6

TOTAL (56 overs)         185-4

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-58 (Zakir Hasan, 12.2 ov), 2-70 (Shadman Islam, 17.4 ov), 3-127 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 37.3 ov), 4-153 (Mominul Haque, 43.6 ov)

BOWLING

Mir Hamza  14-4-46-1

Khurram Shahzad 7-0-40-1

Abrar Ahmed        14-3-40-1

Mohammad Ali     17-3-37-0

Salman Agha        4-1-17-1

Umpires: Michael Gough, Richard Kettleborough

TV umpire: Asif Yaqoob

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle