PAK vs BAN Test: Bangladesh headed into the two-match series against Pakistan as clear underdogs. After all, they had a terrible record against Pakistan in Test matches. Before the beginning of this series, Bangladesh had played 13 Test matches against Pakistan, who won an incredible 12 times, and failed to win even a single game against their esteemed opponent. Beyond the record, the difference in quality between the two teams on paper was evident as well, with the home team, Pakistan, boasting household names such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah in their playing XI. But matches aren’t won on paper. Bangladesh defied all pre-series predictions and managed to create history for themselves.
PAK vs BAN Test: How the match unfolded?
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and made a bold decision to bowl first. This move paid off immediately, with Pakistan losing opener Abdullah Shafique in the very first over. Captain Shan Masood (57) then staged a comeback, forging a crucial 107-run partnership for the second wicket. However, both batsmen fell within a span of 16 runs, leaving Pakistan at 122/3. Despite being in a relatively strong position, the continuous fall of wickets left the team vulnerable. Pakistan’s batting lineup ultimately collapsed, managing only 274 runs in the first innings.
However, Pakistan bowlers reined fire on Bangladesh batsmen, as the visitors lost the first six wickets for just 26 runs. At that stage, even the 50-run score was looking improbable. But Bangladesh Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the fight to the hosts and scored at a good strike-rate. Das ended up scoring 138 runs while Miraz managed 78. From 26/6, Bangladesh managed to score 262 runs, giving Pakistan only a 12-run lead in the first innings.
Pakistan needed a solid batting display in the second innings to have a good chance of breaking their opponent, but things quickly fell apart for the hosts as they lost their first six wickets for just 81 runs, including the crucial wicket of Babar Azam (11 off 18).
Mohammad Rizwan (43) and Salman Ali Agha (47 not out) were the only two batsmen who showed some resistance. However, once Rizwan fell to Hasan Mahmud in the 37th over, it was all downhill for Pakistan, who were eventually bundled out for 172 runs.
Chasing 185 runs to win was still a challenging task in the fourth innings, but a 58-run opening partnership gave Bangladesh the perfect platform to launch their chase, which they completed when Shakib Al Hasan hit Abrar Ahmed for a four in the 56th over.
With that, Bangladesh secured their first-ever Test series win against Pakistan. Additionally, Bangladesh rose to fourth in the latest ICC Test Championship standings, while Pakistan dropped to ninth, ahead of only 10th-placed West Indies.
Bangladesh clinch their first Test series win against Pakistan 🤩#WTC25 | #PAKvBAN 📝: https://t.co/mhkrlhMLyU pic.twitter.com/hqlZbQZlOE
— ICC (@ICC) September 3, 2024
