Sports
With a commanding display of all-around cricket, Bangladesh wrote a new chapter in their history in Rawalpindi, defeating Pakistan in back-to-back Test matches and securing their most celebrated Test series victory to date-a triumph that, in the words of captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, "means a lot."
In the first Test, Pakistan declared their innings just shy of 450 runs. It was clear that while Pakistan didn't underestimate Bangladesh, they perhaps didn't take them as seriously as they should have.
In the second Test, Bangladesh found themselves in deep trouble, losing six wickets for just 26 runs in response to Pakistan's 274.
On both occasions, the hosts were in a position to apply even more pressure on Bangladesh, a team that had never beaten Pakistan in this format before this series. Yet, against the odds, Bangladesh managed to recover and pull off two of their most famous victories in Test cricket.
First, Mushfiqur Rahim delivered one of the finest performances of his career. Despite falling just nine runs short of his fourth Test double-century, his 191-run effort was crucial in keeping Bangladesh in the contest, allowing them to take a first-innings lead after Pakistan declared at 448 for six.
The batters rose to the occasion once more when Bangladesh found themselves in a precarious position, losing six wickets for just 26 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das anchored the innings with a 165-run partnership, setting a new world record for the highest seventh-wicket stand after a team had lost six wickets for under 50 runs in a Test match.
It wasn't just the batters who shone; the bowlers also stepped up when needed. For example, Mehidy and Hasan Mahmud each took five-wicket hauls in the second Test, while Nahid Rana rocked Pakistan on the fourth morning with a five-over spell in which he claimed three wickets.
Najmul Hossain, the Bangladesh captain, credited the entire team for the memorable win. "I think everyone chipped in during this series; it was totally a team effort," he said after securing the series.
He also acknowledged the contributions of Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan. Shadman scored 93 in the first match, and Zakir played a crucial role with some early boundaries while chasing 185 in the fourth innings of the second Test.
Shanto specifically mentioned Mehidy's bowling in the second Test. He described it as "very important" and said, "The way he bowled in the first innings on this kind of condition, taking five wickets, was impressive."
Mehidy's bowling in Pakistan's first innings suggested that spin might play a bigger role as the match progressed, but surprisingly, in the second innings, all 10 of Pakistan's wickets were taken by the Bangladeshi pacers-a feat they had never achieved before.
This record also underscored that the wicket wasn't particularly conducive to spin, but Mehidy had used the surface masterfully.
"I'm really happy," Mehidy said after the match. "Because, you know, it's been difficult to bowl on this pitch. I got five wickets, so it's a good moment for me. Hopefully, In Sha Allah, next time I'll try to do even better."
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