On the fourth day of the second Test in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh’s pace bowler Nahid Rana delivered a game-changing performance, claiming three crucial wickets to leave Pakistan reeling at 117-6 at lunch.
With a slender lead of just 129 runs and four wickets still in hand, Pakistan’s position looked increasingly precarious.
The 21-year-old Rana was instrumental in the morning session, dismissing key Pakistani batsmen. He first removed Shan Masood, who had contributed 28 runs, followed by Babar Azam, who was out for 11, and Saud Shakeel, dismissed for just two. Rana’s aggressive spell of fast bowling has given Bangladesh a promising chance for a historic series win against Pakistan.
At the lunch break, Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 38, and Salman Agha was at the crease with seven runs. Bangladesh, who are leading the two-match series 1-0 after their victory in the first Test, have been buoyed by this morning’s bowling performance.
The Test match has been significantly affected by weather, with the first day completely washed out due to rain.
However, Bangladesh staged a remarkable comeback on the third day. After being in dire straits at 26-6 in response to Pakistan’s first-innings total of 274, Litton Das (138) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78) forged a crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 165 runs, allowing Bangladesh to reach a total of 262.
On Monday, Pakistan resumed play from their overnight score of 9-2 and managed to advance to 47-2 in 10 overs before Bangladesh struck with a decisive spell, taking three wickets for just 18 runs.
Saim Ayub was dismissed for 20 following a stunning catch by Najmul Hossain, while Masood and Azam fell to Rana’s relentless bowling.
Despite a dropped chance off Mohammad Rizwan, Rana completed his spell with impressive figures of 3-22 from five overs.
