At the end of the second day, Bangladesh maintained control of the Rawalpindi Test. Pakistan was unable to settle, as Bangladesh regularly took wickets, keeping the run total manageable. This ensured that Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim could rest easy overnight.
The first day of the series’ second Test was abandoned due to rain. Today (Saturday), at the start of the second day, Bangladesh won the toss and sent Pakistan to bat first. However, Pakistan could only manage 274 runs in 85.1 overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the standout bowler with 5 wickets.
In reply, the second day’s play ended after just 2 overs of Bangladesh’s batting. During this time, Bangladesh scored 10 runs without losing any wickets. Shadman Islam was on 6 runs, and Zakir Hasan remained unbeaten without scoring. Bangladesh still needs 264 runs to take the lead.
Taskin Ahmed, who returned to Test cricket after a 14-month break, made an immediate impact. In the very first over, he provided Bangladesh with success by breaking Pakistan’s opening partnership before they could score. Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for 0 runs.
Taskin was not part of the previous match, and his inclusion in this match was uncertain. However, the injury to Shariful Islam opened the door for him, and Taskin took the opportunity to prove himself. Despite this early setback, Pakistan recovered, with their captain taking charge of the innings, supported by Saim Ayub.
Their partnership not only stabilized Pakistan but also put Bangladesh under pressure. Shan Masood and Saim Ayub built a strong partnership, and Bangladesh could not take any further wickets before lunch.
After lunch, Mehidy Miraz broke the partnership by trapping the Pakistan captain, Shan Masood, leg-before-wicket. Masood scored 57 runs off 69 balls before his 107-run partnership with Saim Ayub, which lasted 159 balls, came to an end.
Miraz then dismissed Saim Ayub, who had scored 58 runs off 110 balls, with a stumping by Liton Das. Losing both set batters put Pakistan under some pressure.
After that, no significant partnerships were formed. Bangladesh continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Babar Azam tried to build the innings with Saud Shakeel, but Shakib Al Hasan broke their partnership by trapping Babar leg-before-wicket for 31 runs off 77 balls.
Earlier, Taskin had dismissed Shakeel, who managed only 16 runs off 28 balls. Pakistan lost their fifth wicket at 179 runs and their sixth wicket at 211 runs. Mohammad Rizwan, who played well in the previous match, was dismissed by Nahid Rana after scoring 29 runs, despite getting settled at the crease.
The Tigers’ bowlers had applied such pressure that there was a chance to bowl out the hosts before 250 runs. However, Agha Salman played an aggressive innings of 54 runs towards the end, helping Pakistan reach 274 runs.
Taskin then dismissed Salman, while Khurram Shehzad contributed 12 runs. Taskin took 3 crucial wickets, and Miraz reached the milestone of 5 wickets in an innings for the 10th time in his Test career. Shakib and Nahid Rana each took 1 wicket.
