Bangladesh, who needed 14 Tests to secure their first victory over Pakistan, now find themselves on the brink of a historic Test series win against the same opponent, and on Pakistan’s home soil.
As of lunch on the fifth day in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh was comfortably positioned at 122 for two, needing just 63 more runs to claim their second Test victory over Pakistan, with eight wickets in hand.
In the first innings of the ongoing Test, Pakistan was bowled out for 274, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking five wickets.
In response, Bangladesh's batting line-up collapsed, losing six wickets for just 26 runs, signalling what seemed like an inevitable defeat.
However, a record-breaking partnership between Mehidy and Litton Das pulled Bangladesh back from the brink. Litton scored a century, and with Mehidy's half-century, Bangladesh managed to post a total of 262 runs.
In their second innings, Pakistan could only muster 172 runs, setting a target of 185 for the visitors.
In this innings, Bangladesh’s pacers made history by taking all 10 wickets in a Test innings for the first time. Hasan Mahmud claimed his maiden five-wicket haul, Nahid Rana recorded the best bowling figures of his career with four wickets, and Taskin Ahmed took the remaining one wicket.
Previously, Bangladesh’s pacers had taken nine wickets in a Test innings on four occasions, but this was the first time they had claimed all 10.
Bangladesh then began their chase of 185 runs. However, bad light brought an early end to play on the fourth afternoon. On the fifth morning, Bangladesh lost two quick wickets but remained resolute.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque guided Bangladesh to a strong position before lunch on the final day, leaving them on the verge of a momentous series victory.
