Pakistani off-spinner Sajid Khan’s maiden six-wicket haul left Bangladesh in danger of being made to follow-on with a day of the Dhaka Test to go. It remains to be seen if the weather will halt Pakistan’s push for full WTC points, though.
On Tuesday, the play was called off at 4.30 pm, an hour before the scheduled close. Conditions continued to remain murky all day. Yet, it was better than on the three previous days where heavy rain allowed just 63.2 overs to be bowled in the Test.
Pakistan got busy as soon as play commenced at 10:50 am. They first declared on 300 for four, with half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam. Then, despite being hamstrung by the umpires’ diktat that play wouldn’t continue if they operate with fast bowlers, Pakistan made inroads with spin.
Debutant Mahmudul Hasan Joy tried to charge Sajid, only managing to edge to slip. Then, Hasan Ali made his presence felt at point, first with a simple catch to dismiss Shadman Islam before running out Mominul Haque with a direct hit.
Mushfiqur Rahim was the next to go, one ball after surviving a close lbw call, as he tried to swing Sajid across the line with Fawad taking the catch at short midwicket. Then, Liton Das, sent ahead of Shakib Al Hasan, tried to attack Sajid but only hit one back to the bowler as Bangladesh slipped to 46 for 5.
Sajid then picked his fifth scalp when he trapped Najmul Hossain Shanto for 30. Shanto couldn’t capitalise on his reprieves, first being dropped on 13 and later when he was caught behind off a Nauman Ali no-ball.
Shakib tried to bristle his way for runs, but Bangladesh kept losing wickets. Mehidy Hasan Miraz became Sajid’s sixth victim. Shakib and Taijul Islam then survived 5.2 overs before play was called off.
Pakistan had earlier declared their first innings on 300 immediately after Fawad reached his second Test half-century. Rizwan made an unbeaten 53 off 94 balls, with the pair’s unbroken fifth-wicket stand worth 103.
Rizwan endured slices of luck; he was dropped on 30 apart from surviving two lbw calls from the on-field umpires, both reversed through DRS.
Bangladesh had started well with pacers Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed bowling well in tandem, with the wickets of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam respectively. It was Khaled’s first Test wicket, having bowled 69.4 overs over three Tests since his debut in November 2018.
