In a see-saw battle between bat and ball, it was the hosts, Bangladesh, who kept plugging and chipping away at the wickets and kept Pakistan under check. Bangladesh were always ahead of the game while Pakistan played catch-up and did well not to allow Bangladesh to completely dominate the proceedings. At the end of the day, Bangladesh led by 156 runs with 7 wickets in hand in their second innings.
Pakistan kept on losing wickets, but Babar Azam held fort and scored a fluent 68, while lower-order runs from Sajid Khan helped them get to 232 and keep the deficit at 46 runs. Bangladesh, in their second innings, started positively with Hasan Joy scoring a half-century while Khurram Shahzad from Pakistan managed to pick up two wickets as Bangladesh were 110/3 in 26.4 overs at Stumps on Day 2.
Bangladesh keep chipping away at the wickets to heap pressure on Pakistan in the morning session
Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal resumed proceedings for Pakistan on Day 2, while Shoriful Islam had the ball in hand for Bangladesh first up. Shoriful started with a quiet over. Taskin Ahmed took the ball from the other end. Taskin drew first blood for Bangladesh as he removed Fazal for 9 off 21 balls, with one four to his name, as the edge went through to the keeper Litton Das. Captain Shan Masood came out to bat next. Shoriful continued and bowled a maiden.
Taskin continued and got rid of the other opener, Azan Awais, for 13 off 34 balls with 3 fours to his name. The batter tried to defend and got the inside edge and ballooned it up to short square leg, where Mominul took the catch. Babar Azam came out to bat next. Masood survived some nervy moments out there. Shoriful bowled a decent over. Taskin continued as Babar got a boundary to his name as he slashed hard through point for a boundary.
Shoriful continued as Masood got into the act and punched through the cover point area for a boundary. Shan drilled the ball through mid-on for a triple. Nahid Rana came into the attack for the first time on Day 2. Masood welcomed him with a boundary through the midwicket region with a flick. Babar got into the act and flicked the ball through midwicket for a boundary. Babar got a boundary away with a slash, where he got the top edge over Litton for a boundary.
Rana continued as Bangladesh wasted a review for LBW as Shan got an inside edge onto his pads. Mehidy Hasan Miraz came into the attack next. He struck straightaway as he removed Shan Masood, who punched the ball and hit it to the covers. Nayeem Hasan took the catch easily. Drinks were taken at this stage, after which Saud Shakeel came out to bat next. Rana continued and bowled a quiet over.
Miraz continued as Babar punched it through the covers for a boundary. Rana bowled another probing over. Miraz bowled a maiden. Rana followed suit with a maiden as well. Mehidy bowled another maiden. Nahid Rana continued as Saud Shakeel broke the shackles as he drove it crisply through the covers for a boundary. Mehidy struck again as he removed Shakeel for 8 off 28 balls with one four to his name as the batter tried to sweep the ball and got the toe end of the bat. The ball lobbed up to the keeper, who took the catch. Salman Ali Agha came out to bat next.
Taskin Ahmed came back into the attack. Babar got the outside edge that went through first slip and second slip for a boundary. Miraz bowled a miserly over. Taskin continued and overstepped as well. Mehidy bowled another good over. Taskin continued as Salman crunched his cut through backward point for a boundary. Taskin overstepped as well. Pakistan reached 96/4 in 30 overs with Babar unbeaten on 37 off 58 balls alongside Salman Ali Agha unbeaten on 6 off 15 balls, as the players left the field for Lunch on Day 2.
Babar Azam leads Pakistan’s fightback with a half-century, but Bangladesh chip away to stay ahead in the afternoon sessionÂ
Babar Azam and Salman Ali Agha came out to resume for Pakistan while Taijul Islam came onto bowl for the first time in the innings after Lunch. Babar was on the move as he nudged the short ball with soft hands through midwicket for a boundary. The 100 came up for Pakistan in 30.2 overs. Babar crunched the ball again past backward point for a boundary. Shoriful Islam came back into the attack as Babar got to his fifty in 63 balls with a drive down to the left of the bowler for a boundary.
Taijul continued as Salman opened the bat face and guided it down to deep third man for a boundary. Babar once again opened his stance and pulled it to deep midwicket for a boundary. Shoriful continued and bowled a maiden. Taijul continued and bowled a better over. Babar went after Shoriful with a cut past the backward point for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between Babar and Salman. Shoriful continued as Babar managed to get a triple to wide mid-on. Taijul continued and bowled another decent over.
Nahid Rana came into the attack next. He struck and got rid of the big fish, Babar Azam, for 68 off 84 balls with 10 fours to his name as the batter chipped it to the short midwicket fielder. Mohammad Rizwan came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Taijul bowled a maiden. Nahid continued as Rizwan pulled it through deep square leg for a boundary. Taijul struck for Bangladesh now as Salman was dismissed for 21 off 51 balls with 2 fours to his name as the sweep shot was hit straight to the deep square leg fielder. Drinks were taken at this stage in the afternoon session with this wicket.
Hasan Ali came out to bat next. Nahid Rana continued as Rizwan got the inside edge past Litton for a boundary. Hasan got a triple away over covers. Taijul bowled a maiden over. Rana gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side as a gift. Hasan then played the on drive for a boundary, Taijul bowled another maiden. Taskin returned as Hasan looked to pull the ball and got the outside edge past the keeper and away for a boundary. Taskin bowled another no-ball.
Taijul struck gold and removed Rizwan for 13 off 27 balls with 2 fours to his name by knocking his stumps over. Sajid Khan came out to bat next. Taskin bowled another good over. Taijul continued as Hasan helped it on its way to the deep fine leg fence for a boundary. Taskin continued and gifted 4byes and a no ball as well. Taijul then got another as he dismissed Hasan Ali for 18 off 37 balls with 3 fours to his name as Rana took the catch from a mistimed slog sweep. Khurram Shahzad came out to bat next. He took on Taijul and whipped him to deep square leg for a boundary and thumped it over deep midwicket for the maximum.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz came back into the attack. Sajid took on the bowler and hit it straight to the fielder, who took the catch and landed on the ropes. The 200 came up for Pakistan in 53.2 overs. Taijul continued as Sajid went up and over covers for a boundary. Pakistan reached 206/8 in 55 overs with Sajid unbeaten on 12 off 17 balls and Khurram Shahzad unbeaten on 10 off 9 balls as players left the field for Tea on Day 2. An action-packed afternoon session came to an end.
Lusty blows take Pakistan to 232 all out; Bangladesh begin solidly in their second innings
Sajid Khan and Khurram Shahzad resumed for Pakistan while Nahid Rana had the ball in hand for Bangladesh. Rana struck straightaway as he removed Shahzad for 10 off 10 balls with one four and one six to his name as the catch was taken at short leg. Mohammad Abbas came out to bat next. Taijul continued as Sajid took him on by going straight down the ground for the maximum, and then went over long-off for the maximum. He went big again as he slog swept it over deep midwicket for the maximum.
Rana continued as Sajid whacked it away through covers for a boundary. Rana got the last wicket to fall as he backed away and sliced it away, got the outside edge down to deep third man, where Tanzid came forward and took a good low catch. Sajid fell for 38 off 28 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Pakistan were bowled out for 232 in 57.4 overs with Abbas unbeaten on 0 off 4 balls. 13 extras given by the fielding side.
Bangladesh put in an all-round bowling display. Nahid Rana finished with 3/60 in 12.4 overs. Taijul Islam finished with 3/67 in 14 overs. Taskin Ahmed finished with 2/37 in 11 overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz finished with 2/21 in 9 overs. Shoriful Islam finished with 0/39 in 11 overs. This meant Bangladesh had a first innings lead of 46 runs, which is vital.
Bangladesh came to bat in their second innings with Mahmudul Hasan Joy and debutant Tanzid Hasan coming out to open for Bangladesh. Mohammad Abbas had the ball in hand for Pakistan. Joy was off and running with a boundary with a whip to deep backward square leg. Khurram Shahzad had the ball in hand from the other end. He overstepped. Tanzid then crisply went through cover point for a boundary. Abbas continued as Hasan Joy slapped it through backward point for a boundary. Shahzad struck for Pakistan as he removed Tanzid for 4 off 7 balls with one four to his name as Shakeel took the catch at gully.
Mominul Haque came out to bat next. Abbas gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Shahzad continued as Hasan Joy slashed at it past Salman Ali Agha for a boundary. The bowler overstepped again. Hasan Ali came into the attack next. Hasan gifted 4 leg byes to the batting side to the fine leg region. Hasan Joy then drove through the covers for a boundary. Shahzad continued and bowled another no-ball. Joy backed himself for a pull shot and hit it to deep square leg for a boundary.
Sajid Khan came into the attack next. Joy drove it past covers for a boundary and then hit through covers for a boundary again. The lead has now edged past 100 for Bangladesh. Hasan continued as Mominul flicked it away to the fine leg region for a boundary. Bangladesh had raced to 58/1 in 10 overs. Sajid continued and bowled a decent over. Hasan Ali bowled a maiden over.
Sajid continued as Joy smashed it away through the covers for a boundary. Bangladesh were 69/1 in 13 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break in the evening session. Mominul drove it down the ground through cover point and extra covers for the boundary. Mohammad Abbas came back into the attack. Joy slashed it through the point for a boundary. Hasan continued as Mominul ramped it over the keeper for a boundary. Abbas continued as Joy whipped it away to deep backward square leg for a boundary and got to his fifty in 58 balls.
Sajid Khan returned and bowled a decent over. Abbas then removed the set batter, Hasan Joy, as the deep square leg fielder took a good catch inches from the ground. Najmul Hossain Shanto came out to bat next. Pakistan wasted a review on Shanto. Sajid continued and bowled a good over. Abbas bowled a good over again. Sajid continued and bowled another fine over.
The 100 came up for Bangladesh in 22.1 overs. The lead crossed 150 as well. Sajid continued as Shanto punched the ball past mid-on for a boundary. Shahzad returned to the attack, and he bowled a maiden. Sajid bowled a maiden as well. Shahzad came to bowl the last over of the day, and at the stroke of the end of the day’s play, he removed Mominul for 30 off 60 balls with 3 fours to his name as the edge was taken by Rizwan. Shanto was unbeaten on 13 off 32 balls with one four to his name as Bangladesh ended the day at 110/3 in 26.4 overs. 11 extras have been given so far.
4 bowlers used by Pakistan. Khurram Shahzad is the pick of the bowlers as he has figures of 2/19 in 5.4 overs. Mohammad Abbas finished with 1/29 in 8 overs. Hasan Ali finished with 0/18 in 5 overs. Sajid Khan finished with 0/36 in 8 overs. Bangladesh lead by 156 runs with 7 second innings wickets in hand.
What Lies Ahead on Day 3
So, Day 3 is called the moving day, but this Test match has moved quite fast. We hope that we get a full day’s play in with no rain interrupting. Bangladesh are ahead and will look to pile on the runs. They will try to take a lead close to 300. Pakistan will want to chip away at the wickets and try to chase under 250. A fascinating Day 3 awaits us all in Sylhet. Let’s see how things pan out.
Also Read: BAN vs PAK: Litton Das’ Sublime Ton Rescues Bangladesh On An Entertaining 1st Day