Bangladesh were closing on a first series win against Pakistan on Tuesday, reaching 122-2 at lunch on the fifth day of the second Test in Rawalpindi, needing 63 more for victory.
Shan Masood-led Pakistan faced an uphill battle in their attempt to avoid a humiliating whitewash on home soil as the final Test in Rawalpindi moved towards its conclusion.
At the start of play on the fifth and final day of the match, Bangladesh resumed their innings at 42-0 in pursuit of their 185-run target. Pakistan got the first breakthrough after 16 runs were added when Mir Hamza bowled Zakir Hasan with a delivery that moved away.
Fellow pace bowler Khurram Shahzad got in on the act when Shadman Islam miscued a drive, chipping to Shan at mid-off.
However, a lack of further breakthroughs and the shallow target meant that Bangladesh tightened their grip on the match and the series, reaching the 100-run mark in the 29th over.
Najmul Hossain Shanto on 33 and Mominul Haque, 20, dug in to stop any further inroads with the captain bringing up their fifty partnership off the last ball before lunch.
He has hit four boundaries so far in his 33 off 68 balls while Mominul found the ropes twice in his 30 off 46 balls.
Bangladesh leads the two-match series 1-0 after a surprise win in Rawalpindi last month, their first in 14 tests against Pakistan.
They have only won two series away from home — against the West Indies in 2009 and Zimbabwe in 2021.
On the fourth day of the match on Monday, Hasan Mahmud took 5-43 while Nahid added 4-44 — both career-best figures — in dismissing Pakistan for 172 in their second innings and visiting openers Hasan and Islam raced to 42 without loss — with Zakir hitting two sixes and two boundaries — before rain clouds gathered and bad light suspended play one over after the tea break.
The rain-affected Test saw Friday’s first day’s play washed out and then a remarkable fightback by Bangladesh on Sunday.
The visitors were 26-6 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 274 before Liton Das (138) put together a seventh-wicket partnership of 165 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78) that enabled Bangladesh to reach 262.
Pakistan took their overnight score of 9-2 to 47-2 in 10 overs on Monday before Bangladesh broke through with a spell of three wickets for 18 runs.
Saim Ayub fell for 20 to a brilliant catch by Najmul Hossain at mid-off as the opener failed to keep down a drive off fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.
Nahid then had Pakistan skipper Masood caught behind by Liton off a wild shot before getting the prized wicket of Azam, caught at slip off a sharp delivery in his next over.
Nahid grabbed his third by dismissing Shakeel and went to lunch with figures of 3-22 off five overs.
