After a long period of struggle, Bangladesh finally broke a 240-run fifth-wicket partnership between Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan just before the tea break. Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivered a crucial offbreak that deceived Shakeel, who edged the ball and inadvertently dragged his back foot out of the crease. Litton Das completed the dismissal with a swift stumping, with Shakeel’s toe just touching the line as the bails dislodged.
Earlier, Shakeel had narrowly avoided a dismissal when Litton’s throw missed him by milliseconds, and he had managed to survive a couple of tense moments behind the stumps. Shakeel and Rizwan each scored their third Test centuries, showcasing solid batting throughout their 63.5 overs together. Rizwan reached his hundred with a six and a four off Shakib Al Hasan, while Shakeel’s century came after a lengthy boundary drought.
The batting duo’s impressive performance highlighted the easing conditions compared to the start of the Test, when Bangladesh had reduced Pakistan to 16 for 3 with the new ball. By the time the second new ball was available, both batters were well set and capitalized with elegant strokes.
Despite a few awkward moments against short balls, especially from Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, Rizwan and Shakeel managed to score freely. Shakeel, in particular, displayed a strong defensive technique, while Rizwan was the more aggressive scorer in the first session.
Bangladesh’s spinners, Shakib and Mehidy, gradually found their rhythm, with Shakib conceding 55 runs from 18 overs and Mehidy taking 1 for 31 from 13.
Leave a Reply