By the tea break of the second Test, Pakistan was struggling at 183 for 5, having lost four wickets to Bangladesh in the second session. Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up both half-centurions of Saim Ayub and Shan Masood, while Taskin Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan each claimed a wicket for Bangladesh during the session. Pakistan made 84 runs in the session but lost too many wickets.
After lunch, Masood was dismissed in the third over. After throwing on the middle stump, Mehidy got the ball to straighten it, so he played across the line. Conversely, Saim Ayub reached his fifty by pulling off Nahid Rana to the edge.
Mehidy enjoyed the fruits of his disciplined spell once more. Ayub danced down the track and was scooped up by him for a tossed-up delivery that baffled the left-hander. Saud Shakeel, the centurion from the previous game, was fortunate when Mehidy dropped him off Rana at second slip.
In the 43rd over, Shakeel hit two deliveries through square for four runs, taking Taskin Ahmed on. But Taskin had the last laugh when he got Shakeel to cut the line onto the stumps after straightening it and angling it in.
Mushfiqur Rahim dove to stop a boundary at mid-off, and as he went off the pitch gripping his shoulder, Bangladesh had cause for concern. The guests will be hoping it’s okay. During his innings, Babar Azam had appeared at ease, using a straight bat for most of it while scoring 31 runs.
Babar tried to play one across the line, but Shakib got one to slide on with the arm, crashing into his pads and becoming stuck in front. It’s his fourteenth inning without a half-century.
A few balls later, Shakib nearly scooped up his second. He managed to get the inside edge off Salman Ali Agha, but Zakir Hasan dropped it at the short leg. In the final over of the session, Mohammad Rizwan, who is still undefeated at 18, pulled Hasan Mahmud for a boundary, carrying Pakistan’s chances into the final session.
Summary: Pakistan defeated Bangladesh 183/5 in 55 overs (Saim Ayub 58, Shan Masood 57; Taskin Ahmed 2-32, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-41).
