Bangladesh Secures Historic Series Sweep

Bangladesh 262 (Litton 138, Mehidy 78, Shahzad 6-90) and 185/4 (Zakir 40, Agha 1-17) beat Pakistan 274 (Ayub 58, Masood 57, Agha 54, Mehidy 5-61, Taskin 3-57) and 172 (Agha 47, Mahmud 5-43, Rana 4-44) by six wickets

On a day that will be etched in Bangladesh cricket history, the team showcased grit and composure, securing a 2-0 series sweep over Pakistan with a six-wicket win on the final day in Rawalpindi.

Chasing 185, Zakir Hasan contributed 40, while Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque added steady 30s. It was the experienced duo of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan who saw the team through, leading to celebrations in the Bangladesh camp. They approached their third-highest successful chase in Test cricket with calm and composure.

Winning a Test match overseas, let alone an entire series, is a rare achievement for Bangladesh. This victory marked only their fourth win in 20 overseas Tests over the past seven years, and their third Test series triumph abroad. Pakistan, on the other hand, continued their dismal home form, extending their winless streak at home to 10 matches, with six losses and four draws since a win against South Africa in early 2021.

As the game headed into the second session, Bangladesh needed just 63 more runs with eight wickets in hand. Shanto played a few reverse sweeps, managing a boundary, but soon fell to a soft dismissal, guiding a straight delivery from Salman Agha to Abdullah Shafique at short leg.

Mominul, who had been conservative in the first session, became more active after Shanto’s departure. He hit Agha through point and got another boundary off Mir Hamza, albeit via an edge. With Pakistan desperate for wickets, they burned two reviews on consecutive deliveries for lbw appeals against Mushfiqur, only to find both had inside edges.

Mominul’s aggressive approach ultimately led to his dismissal when he mistimed a shot off Abrar Ahmed straight to mid-off. However, Mushfiqur and Shakib remained solid, ensuring there were no further slip-ups. They took their time, refraining from risky shots, and steadily approached the target. Shakib sealed the victory with a straight six off Abrar before hitting the winning boundary through the covers, propelling Bangladesh to fourth place in the World Test Championship standings.

Bangladesh resumed the final day at 42 without loss. Shadman Islam got things started with a square cut, but Pakistan’s bowlers dominated the first 45 minutes. Mohammad Ali came close to dismissing Zakir when he missed a good-length ball, but replays later showed a bottom edge that went unnoticed by the fielders.

Zakir didn’t stay long, however. Hamza, finding the right length outside off, angled a delivery in, beating Zakir’s edge and clipping the top of off stump. Hamza and Ali then tightened the screws with several dot balls, stifling the scoring. When Shanto finally got off the mark on his 10th ball, it broke a 25-ball dry spell. Hamza then forced a thick edge from Shadman’s bat, but Agha at second slip couldn’t hold on to the tough, one-handed chance.

Shadman’s luck soon ran out, as he fell to a loose drive off Khurram Shahzad, sending the ball straight to a pumped-up Shan Masood at cover.

Despite these early wickets, Shanto and Mominul steered Bangladesh’s innings, quashing Pakistan’s hopes of a comeback. The pair survived a few edges, but with time on their side, they chipped away at the target patiently. While Shanto occasionally played aggressively, hitting Ali and Shahzad for boundaries, Mominul focused on singles, except for a slog-sweep off Abrar that fetched four.

Masood tried to shake things up by reintroducing Hamza, but Shanto and Mominul held firm until lunch. Although Pakistan eventually broke their partnership, the target was too small to defend, and Bangladesh completed their victory in front of a sparse home crowd.