In a remarkable turnaround, Liton Das hit a fighting century to lift Bangladesh from a precarious 26-6 to 262 all out on the third day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. The 29-year-old’s marathon 138, in partnership with Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 78, brought Bangladesh back into the match. At close on the third day, Pakistan were struggling at 9-2, with opener Abdullah Shafique and nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad dismissed by pacer Hasan Mahmud. Saim Ayub remained not out on six, with Pakistan trailing by 21 runs. Pakistan will need to bat well to clinch a series-levelling win after losing the first Test.
The match-turning stand between Das and Mehidy was the highlight of the day. Das, who cracked 13 boundaries and four sixes, added a crucial 236 for the last four wickets. He admitted to feeling nervous at the start but was happy with how he took responsibility and batted positively. Although Pakistan were in a strong position in the morning session, they were left frustrated by Das and Mehidy’s partnership which was the first pair in Tests to add more than 150 runs for the seventh or lower wicket from a team total under 50 runs. Mehidy, who also took five wickets the previous day, played a crucial role in the partnership.
Batsman Khurram Shahzad praised Bangladesh’s batting performance and acknowledged that such phases do come in Test matches. He expressed confidence in Pakistan’s batting abilities and believed they could set a challenging target for Bangladesh in the second innings. Shahzad, who had taken career-best figures of 6-90 in the morning session, could not break the Das-Mehidy partnership until tea. Pakistan will need to regroup and come up with a strong performance in the remaining days of the Test match to salvage a series-levelling win.
The rain-affected Test match saw the first day being washed out, but the eased-out Rawalpindi pitch provided an opportunity for batsmen to score runs. Shahzad’s previous best figures were 3-45 in his debut Test against Australia last year, so his performance in this match was a significant improvement. The second Test match, which is the last in the series, is crucial for both teams as Bangladesh will look to secure their second consecutive win against Pakistan while Pakistan will aim to level the series on home soil. The efforts of players like Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khurram Shahzad will be crucial in determining the outcome of the match.
