Bangladesh fought back with four wickets, including that of Babar Azam, to restrict Pakistan to 183-5 at tea on the second day of the second Test in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed Shan Masood for 57 and opener Saim Ayub for 58 after the home team had been well-placed on 99-1 at lunch.
However, the second session belonged to the visitors as spinner Shakib Al Hasan trapped Azam for 31 with a ball that kept low. Zakir Hasan dropped a sharp catch at short-leg off Agha Salman two balls later.
Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 18 at the break, with Salman yet to score, with Pakistan desperate for a victory to level the two-match series after losing the first Test by 10 ten wickets.
Bangladesh’s Test victory last Sunday was their first over Pakistan in 14 attempts.
Pace bowler Taskin Ahmed bowled first Test centurion Saud Shakeel for 16, the left-hander having already survived a dropped catch by Mehidy off Nahid Rana on one.
The first day’s play on Friday was washed out due to rain but Pakistan shone with solid batting in the first session after being sent in by the visitors.
Masood, under pressure after scores of six and 14 in the first Test, hit two boundaries before he fell leg-before to Mehidy in the third over after the lunch break.
Fellow left-hander Ayub was more aggressive, hitting two sixes and four boundaries before he was stumped by wicketkeeper Liton Das off Mehidy.
Taskin, brought in for the unfit Shoriful Islam as Bangladesh’s only change, bowled Abdullah Shafique off the sixth ball of the match.
Pakistan made two changes from the first Test, resting spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah to bring in pace bowler Mir Hamza and spinner Abrar Ahmed.
The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship’s third cycle.
Bangladesh, whose win was their first in 14 Tests against Pakistan, brought in fast bowler Taskin Ahmed for unfit Shoriful Islam. Pakistan rested new-ball bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, bringing in fast bowler Mir Hamza and spinner Abrar Ahmed.
A Shan Masood-led team with an all-pace bowling attack suffered a stunning loss on the final day of the first Test and now face a must-win task in the second Test.
Bangladesh on the other hand are looking to record a historic first Test series victory over Pakistan.
Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s red ball coach, has said the bowlers would need to embrace a ruthless approach in the final Test.
“Our [over] rates were very poor in [the] first Test and that is unacceptable, as simple as that,” Gillespie said adding that the bowlers will play this match with a new approach in order to make an all-out effort to take 20 wickets.
“We want to be ruthless with discipline and line and length. We want to keep going at the [opponent] batsmen. We want to keep hitting good spots on the pitch, challenging the opposition’s defence constantly again and again.”
