RAWALPINDI (Dunya News/Reuters) – Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of Pakistan cricket some day. On Sunday, Bangladesh annihilated Pakistan by 10 wickets to record their first win in a Test against erstwhile champions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium here.
Set a victory target of 30 runs on the fifth and final day of the first Test, Bangladesh raced beyond the line in just six and a half overs to take 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Resuming their second innings at 23-1, trailing Bagladesh by 94 runs, Pakistan were dismissed for 146 runs in 55.5 overs. First innings centurion Muhammad Rizwan top scored with 51, followed by Abdullah Shafique’s 37, Babar Azam’s 22 and skipper Shan Masood’s 14. Seven batsmen could not enter double figure.
Former captain Babar was given a life when Litton Das dropped him on the very first ball he faced. Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha and Muhammad Ali returned to the pavilion without scoring.
Bangladeshi spin dominated attack wrapped up the Pakistan second innings soon after lunch. Veteran Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were the wreckers of Pakistan batting by bagging three and four wickets conceding 44 and 21 runs respectively. They exposed Pakistan's blunder of not picking a single specialist spinner in their attack.
Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam chased down the target with more than one session to spare.
"It's massive," Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said after a perfect 26th birthday gift.
"We had never won here, but we had the belief before the start of the series that we can win this time."
Mushfiqur Rahim, whose stellar 191 powered Bangladesh to 565 all out in the first innings, was adjudged player of the match.
It is noteworthy that Pakistan had declared their first innings on 448-6 considering it a sufficient score to take control of the Rawalpindi Test. But, Bangladesh responded with 565 runs, getting a match-winnig lead of 117 runs.
It may also be recalled that Pakistan could not register a home Test win since January 2021.
Ironically, the PCB and the ground staff had claimed the wicket to be a green-top, fast-bowling friendly, which turned out to be an absolute "docile" strip for the first four days of play.
"Never to make an excuse, but it didn't play the way we thought it would," Pakistan skipper Masood said at the presentation ceremony.
"There have been mistakes and we have to do better when we play next. There's always room for a spinner," he said.
The second Test will be played here from Friday.
DAY FOUR
Mushfiqur Rahim fell agonisingly short of a double hundred but Bangladesh racked up 565 all out in reply to Pakistan's first innings total of 448-6 declared on day four of the opening test in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Mushfiqur made 191 and forged a 196-run stand with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (77) for the seventh wicket as Bangladesh posted their highest total against Pakistan in the batsman-dominated contest at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh number eight Miraz became the fifth batter to score 50 or more in their innings as more than 1,000 runs were scored over four days while 17 wickets fell.
Pakistan finished the penultimate day on 23-1, trailing by 94 runs, after losing opener Saim Ayub cheaply.
Abdullah Shafique was batting on 12 with captain Shan Masood on nine at the other end.
"We did not expect the wicket to be so slow," Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood told the broadcasters.
"It was a hot day but still credit to our bowlers who ran in hard and gave their best."
The unresponsive pitch appeared to disarm Pakistan's otherwise formidable new ball attack of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.
After Bangladesh resumed on 316-5, Naseem (3-93) removed Litton Das (56) but Mushfiqur and Miraz batted resolutely to avoid any collapse.
Mushfiqur's application was top notch as the diminutive 37-year-old brought up his 11th test hundred and soldiered on.
Mohammad Ali denied Mushfiqur a double hundred when he had the batter caught behind after a sparkling knock that included 22 fours and a six.
Miraz put Bangladesh in the lead and hit six fours before Afridi sent him back.