Bangladesh, thanks to its formidable pace attack, has set a reachable target of 185 runs to whitewash Pakistan in the ongoing test series. On Monday, September 2, Pakistan was bowled out for 172 runs in Rawalpindi, with the wickets shared among Bangladesh’s fast bowlers. Hasan Mahmud claimed 5 wickets, Nahid Rana took 4, and Taskin Ahmed grabbed 1. Earlier, Bangladesh had thrashed Pakistan by 10 wickets in the previous match.
The third day began spectacularly for Bangladesh as they quickly broke through Pakistan’s batting line-up. Taskin Ahmed dismissed Pakistan’s Saeem Ayub for 20 runs, setting the tone for the day. Nahid Rana dominated the first session, taking advantage of his right-arm pace to dismiss Pakistan captain Shan Masood for 28 runs, caught behind by Liton Das.
Nahid Rana also took the crucial wicket of former captain Babar Azam, who was caught by Nazmul Hossain Shanto after scoring just 11 runs. Pakistan found themselves in deep trouble, and Mohammad Rizwan, who was dropped earlier by Sadman Islam in the slips, couldn’t capitalize on his chance. Nahid made up for the missed opportunity by dismissing Saud Shakeel, the centurion from the first test, in the very next over.
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Rizwan, however, fought back before lunch, forming a 55-run partnership with Agha Salman, becoming a thorn in Bangladesh’s side. But after lunch, Hasan Mahmud sent Rizwan packing for 43 runs, quickly followed by the dismissal of Mohammad Ali in the next delivery.
Nahid Rana returned to take his fourth wicket, dismissing Abrar Ahmed, caught by Shanto in the slips. Pakistan’s tailenders put up some resistance, with Agha Salman scoring a team-high 47 runs off 71 balls before falling to Hasan Mahmud.
Earlier in the match, Bangladesh had a disastrous start on the third day, losing six wickets for just 26 runs. However, Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz mounted a historic comeback, dragging Bangladesh out of trouble. Miraz narrowly missed a century, getting out for 78, while Liton was dismissed 12 runs short of his 150. Bangladesh was eventually all out for 262, trailing Pakistan’s first innings score of 274 by just 12 runs.
With the momentum firmly in their favor, Bangladesh is now poised to chase down the target of 185 runs and complete a clean sweep against Pakistan.