By Alam Zeb Safi
Mirpur, Bangladesh: Bangladesh secured a historic 104-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test at Mirpur on Tuesday, as fast bowler Nahid Rana’s devastating five-wicket haul dismantled the visitors on the final day.
Chasing a tricky target of 268, Pakistan’s batting lineup crumbled under pressure, falling from a relatively stable 119-4 to 163 all out. Rana was the architect of the collapse, using raw pace to claim 5-40 and trigger a slide that saw Pakistan lost their final six wickets for just 44 runs.
The match belonged to Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was named player of the match for his scores of 101 and 87. His contributions, alongside Mominul Haque’s consistent scoring (91 and 56), allowed Bangladesh to dictate terms throughout the contest.
Pakistan had shown fight earlier in the match through Azan Awais, who struck a gritty 103 on debut in the first innings, and Abdullah Fazal, who top-scored in the second innings with 66. However, the visitors had no answer for Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling on a wearing Day 5 surface.
Barring Abdullah Fazal’s 66 no Pakistani batsman could impress with Agha Salman scoring 26. Azan Awais, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan scored 15 each and were the only other prominent contributors.
After taking a 27-run lead Bangladesh resumed their second innings at 152-3 and declared it at 240-9 just before lunch. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto top-scored 87.
Hasan Ali and Noman Ali got three wickets each while Shaheen Afridi claimed two wickets.
The win gave Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and crucial 12 points in the World Test Championship standings. They are now at the sixth place with 16 points from three matches while Pakistan are at the seventh spot with 12 points from three meetings. This was the first victory from Bangladesh against Pakistan at their own backyard. Bangladesh had clean-swept Pakistan 2-0 in the two Test match series in Rawalpindi in 2024.
The second Test will begin at Sylhet from May 16. Babar Azam is expected to be included in the side. He had skipped the first test due to injury.
Scorecard
Bangladesh 1st Innings: 413
Najmul Hossain Shanto 101, Mominul Haque 91, Mushfiqur Rahim 71; Mohammad Abbas 5-92, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-113
Pakistan 1st innings: 386
Azan Awais 103, Abdullah Fazal 60, Mohammad Rizwan 59; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-102, Taskin Ahmed 2-70
Bangladesh 2nd Innings: 240-9 declared
Najmul Hossain Shanto 87, Mominul Haque 56, Hasan Ali 3-52, Noman Ali 3-76
Pakistan 2nd innings (Target 268): 163
Abdullah Fazal 66, Salman Agha 26; Nahid Rana 5-40, Taijul Islam 2-22, Taskin Ahmed 2-40
Result: Bangladesh won by 104 runs.
Player of the Match: Najmul Hossain Shanto
