Bangladesh vs Pakistan 1st Test: Shadman, Mushfiqur, and Litton Lead the Fight to Cut Down Deficit
Bangladesh vs Pakistan 1st Test Updates: On the third day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh’s batsmen exerted tremendous pressure on Pakistan’s bowling attack, turning the match into a fascinating struggle for first-inning supremacy.
Sessions of varied lengths were interspersed throughout the day, which saw temperatures rise to 35 degrees. One session was held in the morning to facilitate Friday prayers.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
Bangladesh 316 for 5 (Shadman 93, Mushfiqur 55*, Litton 52*, Mominul 50, Shahzad 2-47) trail Pakistan 448 for 6 dec by 132 runs.
Match Analysis
The Rawalpindi Test saw an exciting battle for first-innings honours on a 35-degree third day that was divided into uneven-length sessions, including a three-hour morning session, to accommodate Friday prayers. Bangladesh’s batters withstood an initial period of hostility before making an impact on Pakistan’s bowlers.
With 93 speeches over more than five and a half hours, Shadman Islam set the groundwork for Bangladesh’s resistance, which was further developed by Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Litton Das with their own half-centuries. Bangladesh were five down and 132 short of Pakistan’s first-inning total at stumps, Litton and Mushfiqur adding an uninterrupted 98 runs at the crease.
Litton became a member of Mushfiqur at a critical juncture in Bangladesh’s innings. Shakib Al Hasan fell early, chipping Saim Ayub’s part-time spin to the fielder at cover after Mohammad Ali had nipped out Shadman with the final ball before tea. When they were given the second new ball late in the day, the sixth-wicket combination quickly took control of the game, rattling away at more than five an over and mounting a decisive counterattack against Pakistan’s quicks.
In the final 11 overs of the day, Bangladesh amassed 67 runs, with Litton displaying some breathtaking strokeplay.
The highlight of this was when Litton took Naseem Shah apart in the 89th over of Bangladesh’s innings, which was the 77th over of the day. In order to quickly pass the half-century mark, he first chipped the opening ball of the over straight back over the bowler for a one-bounce four. He then displayed his ability to pull and hook, hitting two unstoppable fours and a huge six over square leg.
That was an eighteen-year-old. Naseem lost 62 runs in his final eight overs of the innings after taking a wicket and giving up just 15 runs in his opening 12 overs. Bangladesh’s scoring rate increased from 2.97 in the first session to 3.33 in the second and 5.08 in the third, which was indicative of Pakistan’s broader misfortunes.
But Pakistan still has a 132-run lead going into day four, and they know they are only two wickets away from Bangladesh’s bottom order.
But once the first new ball lost its sheen, they had to fight incredibly hard for the five wickets they did take in conditions that were ideal for batting. But for the majority of the day, Pakistan’s discipline and perseverance made sure that Bangladesh had to earn their late scoring frenzy.
Bangladesh began the day on 27 for no loss, and before the first drinks break, they had managed just 12 runs in 12 overs, losing Zakir Hasan in the process. Bangladesh’s top three mostly held off Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s constant probing in the channel, as they found enough movement to jeopardize on-the-up shots. Their resistance came from a combination of ability, judgment, and a little bit of luck.
However, Pakistan’s breakthrough came in the fifth over of the day when Zakir was forced into a hard-hands push away from the body by Naseem’s angle over the left-hander, together with some extra bounce and away seam movement. After leaving the field late on day two due to cramps, Mohammad Rizwan returned to the keeper position and flew to his left to finish the catch off the edge.
When the third and fourth seamers came on, the runs came a little quicker, and when Shahzad overpitched, Najmul Hossain Shanto hammered him crisply for fours through mid-off and extra-cover.
Shahzad bowled to a plan, moving Shanto forward with wider lengths and angling the ball at him from round the wicket, so those were only minor mistakes. He moved his length back a little and got one to nip back in off the seam and bowl Shanto out of the gate after he had been accustomed to front-foot drives and blocks into the cover region with a somewhat open bat face.
Shadman and Mominul managed just 12 runs in the final seven overs prior to the next drinks break, with Bangladesh at 53 for 2.
Shadman batted with composure during all of this, with the exception of a few awkward moments when he top-edged draws off Mohammad Ali and Shahzad, the ball falling safely in front of the long leg fielder each times.
Despite Pakistan’s intense efforts, the initial three-hour session was inevitably going to serve as a test for them. After failing to score a boundary in the first two hours of the day, Shaheen gave Shadman a release in the morning’s 24th over when he hit a half-volley to the cover boundary and a full-toss back past the bowler. Then, in order to cross another boundary and reach the 40s, he went up to Salman Ali Agha and drilled him through the covers.
After Naseem went back to attacking, his otherwise promising day took a turn for the worse as he let up three fours in his final two overs before lunch. Mominul smashed two balls in quick succession, a cheeky uppercut over the slips and a deliberate stride back and over to flat-bat a ball that was just short of mid-on. Shadman then brought up his fifty for the final ball of the session with a pulled four.
Mominul and Shadman shared a third-wicket partnership of 94 runs before Shahzad ended it in the fourth over following lunch. The wicket was almost exactly the same as Zakir’s: Mominul moved half forward to defend after a fullish length from around the wicket, and an inward seam movement pierced the bat-pad gap.
Soon after, Pakistan came within two runs of being leg before wicket twice, with Shadman reviewing an out call against a slider from offspinner Salman Ali Agha and Shahzad reviewing a not-out call off an inducker against Mushfiqur Rahim. Both appraisals were favorable to Bangladesh.
Shadman looked threatening as the second session went on, going from 64 to 93 in only 25 balls and hitting six fours during that span. After that, Ali bowled Shahzad through the gate with the final delivery before tea, again using a ball from round the wicket that nipped into the left-hander’s grasp.
