Bangladesh continued to make big strides in the longest format as fast bowler Nahid Rana engineered a dramatic win against Pakistan in the first Test in Mirpur on Tuesday.
Rana claimed 5-40 on an eventful final day to secure a 104-run victory. It was Bangladesh's third straight Test win against Pakistan after their twin wins in Rawalpindi in 2024.
Back then as well, it was Bangladesh's quality fast bowling attack that had stunned Pakistan. This time, Rana led the way on the final day to pull off a comprehensive victory.
The home team set Pakistan a victory target of 268 and then bundled them out for 163. At one point, Bangladesh seemed to not have enough time to take all the wickets but the Tigers took seven wickets in the final session to go 1-0 up in the two-Test series.
Bangladesh had scored 413 in their first innings while Pakistan responded with 386.
Significant time was lost to rain on third and fourth days of the contest, which made a result on the sluggish Mirpur surface improbable. But Bangladesh put sustained pressure across two sessions to force a result.
Bangladesh declared their second innings on 240-9. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto followed his first-innings hundred with 87 and Mominul Haque (56) scored his second half-century of the match.
It was then left to the bowlers. Rana led their attack with an inspired display of fast bowling to fashion Bangladesh's first victory against Pakistan on home soil.
Abdullah Fazal made a gutsy 66 but Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could not bat out the final day.
Rana dismissed Shaheen Afridi, caught at forward short leg, to seal the win. Fellow seamer Taskin Ahmed and spinner Taijul Islam claimed two wickets apiece.
Rana, however, was the star of the day. Consistently clocking speeds of 93mph, Rana had batters hopping on a slow surface. The biggest blow came when Rana got the ball to tail in sharply and disturb the stumps of Mohammad Rizwan – the seventh wicket and the last recognised batter.
“Very happy. Proud of all the guys the way we played,” Bangladesh captain Shanto said.
“We declared because we have a quality bowling attack and in these conditions Rana, Taskin, Taijul bowled really well and that's what I want from them.”
Bangladesh had earlier defeated the West Indies in Jamaica in 2024. Their latest win underlines the vast improvement in their Test team and especially their pace bowling attack.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood said they failed to exploit the seam-friendly conditions at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
“We couldn't make the most of it with both bat and ball. I thought we could have pushed ahead and scored more runs [in the first innings],” he said.
The final Test is scheduled in Sylhet from Saturday.
