Nahid Rana stole the show yet again when it mattered for Bangladesh. Nahid Rana has been Pakistan’s nemesis in the last few matches, and on the final day, it was no different. In a Test match where we saw splendid performances from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz with the ball in hand, it was Rana who gave the final exclamation point to bundle Pakistan out for 163 and win the first Test by 104 runs.
There were positives for Pakistan too, with Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal getting runs, and others like Salman Ali Agha and Rizwan also chipped in. But when the pressure came off a chase or to even draw the game, Pakistan crumbled and lost the contest to go 1-0 down in a 2-match Test series. The Test match lasted 5 days, was hampered by rain on Day 3 and Day 4. We will review the whole Test match as a whole.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s superlative ton helps Bangladesh post 413 despite being asked to bat first
Put into bat first, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Shadman Islam came out to bat for Bangladesh. Shaheen Afridi came onto bowl for Pakistan. The openers went relatively early as Joy made 8 off 19 balls and Islam made 13 off 30 balls as Bangladesh were 2 down for 31 in 10.1 overs. Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto joined forces and forged a nice partnership. The duo steadied things for Bangladesh after a shaky start.
The duo played with good control and played almost till the Tea Break on Day 1. The duo put on a magnificent 170 runs for the third wicket to give Bangladesh control. Shanto completed his ton and was in a hurry out there. The duo took the score to 201 before Shanto fell for 101 off 130 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Mohammad Abbas. Mushfiqur Rahim came out to bat next.
Mominul and Rahim also managed to forge a partnership and take Bangladesh forward. The duo put on 75 runs for the 4th wicket before Mominul fell for 91 off 200 balls with 10 fours to his name, nine short of his hundred to Noman Ali. Litton Das came out to bat next and got a start as well. Rahim continued the fight on his comeback. Litton got a start as the duo put on another 62-run stand for the 5th wicket before Das fell for 33 off 67 balls with 5 fours to his name to Mohammad Abbas.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz came out to bat next and played his shots. The duo of Rahim and Mehidy added 16 runs for the 6th wicket before Mehidy fell for 10 off 12 balls with one four and one six to his name to Abbas. Taijul Islam came out to bat next. Islam scored a quick cameo and added 24 runs for the 7th wicket before Taijul fell for 17 off 23 balls with 2 fours to his name to Abbas. Ebadot Hossain came out to bat next.
Just 2 runs were added to the score before Rahim, the set batter, fell for 71 off 179 balls with 8 fours to his name as he was cleaned up by Shaheen Afridi. Taskin Ahmed came out to bat next. Just 4 runs were added to the score before Ebadot fell for 0 off 10 balls to Abbas. Nahid Rana was the last man to come to the crease. The last wicket pair was at the crease as Taskin came out and played a useful cameo for the last wicket.
Bangladesh looked short of getting 400, but Taskin’s brilliance helped them add a valuable 29 runs for the last wicket to take the score beyond 400. In the end, Taskin was the last man dismissed on 28 off 19 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name. Shaheen Afridi took the last wicket to fall. Rana remained unbeaten on 4 off 23 balls as Bangladesh were bowled out for 413 in 117.1 overs. 37 extras given by Pakistan.
Mohammad Abbas was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with figures of 5/92 in 34 overs. Shaheen Afridi chipped in 3/113 in 31.1 overs. Hasan Ali chipped in with 1/75 in 26 overs. Noman Ali finished with 1/80 in 20 overs. Salman Ali Agha finished with 0/25 in 6 overs. Bangladesh finished with 413 in the first innings.
Azan Awais’ dashing ton and support from the other players took Pakistan to 386
In reply, Azan Nawais and Imam-ul-Haq came out to open the batting for Pakistan while Taskin Ahmed started proceedings for the hosts, Bangladesh. Pakistan got off to a solid start as it was the Azan Awais show from the start. He really played well, and Imam gave him good company and got a start in this match. The openers laid the foundation for Pakistan as they put on 106 for the first wicket before Imam fell for a well-made 45 off 72 balls with 6 fours to his name to Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Abdullah Fazal came out to bat next, and he complemented Awais really well as Pakistan started strongly in their first innings. The two newcomers of Pakistan were putting on a show and showing that Pakistan cricket is in great hands as far as performance as a whole is concerned. The duo put on 104 for the second wicket and took the score to 210 when the centurion, who played really well on debut, fell for a magnificent 103 off 185 balls with 14 fours to his name to Taskin Ahmed. Captain Shan Masood came out to bat next.
Masood did not last long, as just 16 runs were scored for the third wicket before Masood, the captain, fell for 9 off 17 balls with 2 fours to his name. Saud Shakeel came into bat next. Shakeel came and went as Pakistan was crumbling a little bit. Just one run was added to the tally before Shakeel fell for a 4th ball duck, LBW to Miraz. Salman Ali Agha came out to bat next. Just 3 more runs were added to the score before Fazal, the set batter, fell for 60 off 120 balls with 7 fours and one six to his name to Miraz. Mohammad Rizwan came out to bat next.
After collapsing to 230/5, Agha and Rizwan started to forge in a partnership. They rescued Pakistan from a sticky position. They added 119 runs for the 6th wicket before Rizwan fell for 59 off 79 balls with 8 fours to his name to Taijul Islam. Noman Ali came out to bat next. Just 4 runs were added to the tally as Salman Agha has been dismissed for 58 off 94 balls with 6 fours and one six to his name. Shaheen Afridi came out to bat next.
It was a struggle for Pakistan from here. The duo added 19 runs for the 8th wicket before Noman fell for 2 off 29 balls to Miraz. Hasan Ali came out to bat next. Just 2 runs were added to the score before Afridi fell for 13 off 17 balls with 2 fours to his name to Miraz yet again. Mohammad Abbas came out to bat next.
Hasan and Abbas added 12 runs for the final wicket before Hasan fell for 6 off 10 balls with one four to his name. Abbas remained unbeaten on 6 off 5 balls with one four to his name. 25 extras given by the fielding side as Pakistan finished with 386 in 100.3 overs. 25 extras given by the fielding side.
Mehdiy Hasan Miraz was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5/102 in 38 overs. Taijul Islam finished with 2/46 in 11.3 overs. Taskin Ahmed finished with 2/70 in 18 overs. Nahid Rana finished with 1/104 in 21 overs. Ebadot Hossain finished with 0/54 in 12 overs. The lead went to Bangladesh, and it’s a 27-run lead in the first innings for the hosts.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s solid 87 takes Bangladesh to 240/9 declared.Â
Bangladesh had a lead of 27 runs coming into this innings, and they did well in the second innings. Mahmudul Hossain Shanto and Shadman Islam came out to open for Bangladesh while Shaheen Afridi had the ball in hand for Pakistan. With rain taking up time, both teams had to show urgency out there for a result to take place. The openers got out cheaply yet again as the 15-run stand was broken with Joy being dismissed early for 5 off 26 balls. Mominul Haque came out to bat next.
Islam too did not last long as 8 runs were added to the scoreboard before he fell for 10 off 22 balls with 2 fours to his name to Hasan Ali. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came back to bat yet again. The duo who were the heroes in the first innings were back in this innings after a break. The duo added another century stand as they added 105 for the third wicket before Mominul fell for 56 off 120 balls with 4 fours to his name to Afridi. Mushfiqur Rahim came out to bat next.
Shanto controlled proceedings from the other end while the others missed out today. The duo put on 36 for the 4th wicket before Rahim fell for 22 off 37 balls with 4 fours to his name to Hasan Ali. Litton Das came out to bat next. Litton and Shanto added 26 runs for the fifth wicket before Das fell for 11 off 28 balls with one four to his name to Afridi. Mehidy Hasan Miraz came out to bat. Mehidy played his shots and delighted everyone.
Shanto finally fell for a well-made 87 off 160 balls with 7 fours to his name to Noman Ali after a 26-run stand. Just 9 runs were added to the tally before Mehidy Hasan Miraz fell for 24 off 27 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Noman yet again. Taijul Islam came out to bat next. Another 7 runs were added to the tally before Taijul fell for 3 off 7 balls to Noman.
Ebadot Hossain came out to bat next. Taskin Ahmed, who had come earlier too, fell for 11 off 5 balls with one four and one six to his name to Hasan Ali. Ebadot remained unbeaten on 4 off 2 balls as Bangladesh finished with 240/9 declared in 70.3 overs. 7 extras given by the fielding side.
Hasan Ali finished with 3/52 in 17.3 overs. Noman Ali finished with 3/76 in 18 overs. Shaheen Afridi finished with 2/54 in 16 overs. Mohammad Abbas finished with 1/35 in 14 overs. Salman Ali Agha finished with 0/18 in 5 overs. This meant that Pakistan needed 268 runs to win this match.
Nahid Rana’s 5-wicket haul skittles Pakistan out for 163 in 52.5 overs to give first blood to Pakistan
Chasing 268 for the win, Azan Awais and Imam-ul-Haq came out to bat for Pakistan. Taskin Ahmed started proceedings for Bangladesh. Bangladesh got off to a perfect start as Taskin removed Imam for 2 off 5 balls. Abdullah Fazal came out to bat next. The duo of Awais and Fazal tried to forge a partnership and added 54 runs for the second wicket before Awais fell for 15 off 33 balls with one four to his name to Miraz, who cleaned him up. Captain Shan Masood came out to bat next.
Just 11 runs were added to the scoreboard before Masood fell cheaply for 2 off 5 balls to Nahid Rana. Salman Ali Agha came out to bat next. Fazal and Salman got together and forged a partnership, and while they were going, Pakistan had hopes of pulling this chase off. The duo put on 51 for the 4th wicket before the set batter Fazal fell for 66 off 113 balls with 11 fours to his name to Taijul Islam. Saud Shakeel came out to bat next. Just 2 runs were added to the tally before Salman fell for 26 off 39 balls with one four to his name to Taskin Ahmed.
Mohammad Rizwan came out to bat next. Shakeel and Rizwan tried to forge a partnership and they did add 31 runs for the 6th wicket before Shakeel fell for 15 off 32 balls with 2 fours to his name to Nahid Rana. Noman Ali came out to bat next. Rizwan too soon fell as the collapse was very much on now. Just one run was added to the score before Rizwan was dismissed for 15 off 46 balls with one four to his name to Nahid Rana, who cleaned him up. Hasan Ali came out to bat next.
Just one run was added to the score before Hasan fell for 1 off 7 balls to Taijul Islam. Shaheen Afridi came out to bat next. Just 4 runs were conceded by Bangladesh before Noman fell for 4 off 13 balls with one four to his name to Nahid Rana. Mohammad Abbas was the last man to come out to bat. He scored 5 runs as 5 was added for the last wicket before Afridi was the last man to be dismissed for a duck off 14 balls to Rana. Abbas remained unbeaten on 5 off 12 balls with one boundary to his name. 12 extras given by the fielding side as Pakistan were bowled out for 163 in 52.5 overs.
Nahid Rana was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5/40 in 9.5 overs. Taskin Ahmed finished with figures of 2/40 in 10 overs. Taijul Islam finished with 2/32 in 14 overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz finished with 1/47 in 17 overs. Ebadot Hossain bowled 2 overs for 9 runs. So, Bangladesh drew first blood in the series by beating Pakistan by 104 runs to go 1-0 up in the 2-match Test series.
What Lies Ahead
So, Bangladesh has drawn first blood in the series as they have beaten Pakistan by 104 runs to go 1-0 up in the 2-match Test series. Bangladesh cannot lose the series, and the openers have taken the game away from the opposition. Bangladesh will look to go one inch closer than in previous seasons. But for that, they will have to play Pakistan in the next Test match. Bangladesh has won the last 3 Test matches against Pakistan.
The second Test will take place in Sylhet from Saturday, 16th May, 2026. Let’s see if Bangladesh clinches the series in this contest or whether Pakistan levels it up at 1-1. Find out more about which teams come out on top in this clash.
Also Read:Â BAN vs PAK: Half-centuries By Najmul Hossain Shanto & Mominul Haque Headline A Strong Fightback