RAWALPINDI – Rain stopped the play on day four of the second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The visitors stood at 42-0 in chase of 185 runs target when the match was abandoned. Zakir Hussain (31) and Shadman Islam (9) were on the crease.
Earlier, the visitors showed skillful bowling, restricting the hosts to 172 runs on day 4 in their second innings as no Pakistani batter could perform up to the mark. Salman Agha remained top scorer with 47 runs followed by Mohammad Rizwan, who made 45 runs.
Bangladesh fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud (five for 43) and Nahid Rana (four for 44) exposed Pakistan’s vulnerability outside the off-stump, giving their side a sniff of a 2-0 series win.
Chasing 185 for only their third series win outside home, Bangladesh were 42 for no loss in seven overs when play was stopped due to bad light, forcing an early closure with 46 overs still remaining. The weather forecast for Tuesday is not encouraging and both sides will be looking to the heavens, praying for contrasting outcomes.
When play was called off for the day, Zakir Hasan (31) and Shadman Islam (9) were at the crease.
Earlier, seven of the eight Pakistan batters were caught in the arc behind the stumps on the fourth day as the home side was skittled out for 172 in 46.4 overs, 33 minutes before tea. If Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal on Sunday is added, then eight Pakistan batters were left searching for their off-stump, which eventually led to their demise.
Pakistan had resumed their second innings on the penultimate day’s play at nine for two. Opener Saim Ayub (20), who was the first batter out on the fourth day, was the only batter to be caught in front of the stumps, snapped up by Najmul Hossain Shanto off Taskin Ahmed at mid-off. The other batter to avoid being caught behind the wickets was nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad, who was bowled on the final ball of Sunday’s play.
Shan Masood (28), Saud Shakeel (2) and Mohammad Rizwan (43) were caught at the wicket by Litton Das, while Babar Azam (11), Mohammad Ali (0), Abrar Ahmed (2) and Mir Hamza (4) were caught in the slips.
Credit for forcing these seven batters into false strokes must be given to fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, who shared nine wickets between them, with one wicket also falling to fast bowler Taskin. It was quite a contrast, as Pakistan had lost their first six innings wickets on Saturday to spinners, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz picking up five wickets.
The only batter to offer some resistance was No. 7 batter Salman Ali Agha, who followed up his 54 with 47 not out – an innings that came off 71 balls and included six fours and a six. Together with Mohammad Rizwan (43), Salman put on 55 runs for the seventh wicket after Pakistan had slipped from 47 for two to 81 for six.
Starting the day at nine for two, Pakistan had their backs against the wall when they went for lunch at 117 for six, with Rizwan and Salman batting on 38 and seven, respectively. Interestingly, Bangladesh had also lost six wickets in the first session of the third day’s play while scoring 65 runs. After the first day’s play was completely lost, Pakistan had gone into lunch on day two at 99 for one.
Hasan Mahmud picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in his third Test, adding the scalps of Rizwan, Ali, and Hamza to his earlier wickets of Abdullah Shafique and nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad. He finished his workload for the tour with figures of 10.4-1-43-5.
In their first innings, Bangladesh scored 262 and Pakistan scored 274 runs.
