Taijul Islam’s four wickets left Pakistan clinging to 316-7 on day 4 of the second test in Sylhet, Bangladesh, as the tourists chased an improbable 437 and stared at a possible series sweep by the hosts. Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 75 at stumps, with Sajid Khan on 8, while Pakistan still needed 121 runs to pull off a victory no team has ever managed in test cricket when chasing more than 418.
Who Has the Power
Bangladesh set the terms of the match after being bowled out for 278 in the first innings, then dismissing Pakistan for 232 and piling up 390 in the second innings through Mushfiqur Rahim’s 137. That left Pakistan with a 400-plus target and a shrinking margin for error, the kind of scoreboard pressure that turns a test into a slow grind of hierarchy and survival. Bangladesh won the first test by 104 runs and is now bidding for a second successive series sweep over Pakistan.
Pakistan batting coach Asad Shafiq tried to keep the mood alive from the losing side, saying, “There is hope, of course,” and adding, “The way our batting unit performed today gives us confidence. There are 121 runs left and Rizwan is batting really well. ... If another partnership develops and goes long, we have a chance.” Those words came after Bangladesh had already forced Pakistan into a corner where hope depended on one batter and a partnership that had not yet arrived.
Who Gets Crushed
Taijul broke the threatening sixth-wicket stand between Salman Agha and Rizwan, who had shared 134 runs. He bowled Agha with a slider before removing Hasan Ali for a duck, cutting through the lower order as Pakistan’s resistance narrowed. Fast bowler Nahid Rana added 2-58 with raw pace that troubled Pakistan throughout the day, first dismissing Abdullah Fazal for 6 when he steered a short-pitch ball to gully, then helping push the tourists deeper into trouble as the innings unfolded.
Offspinner Mehidy Hasan trapped Azan Awais lbw for 21, and later Taijul strangled Babar Azam down the leg for 47 after Babar and skipper Shan Masood had resisted with a 91-run stand. Saud Shakeel then edged a pacy delivery from Nahid behind, and Taijul had Masood caught at short-leg, leaving Pakistan 162-6 and Bangladesh sensing a victory inside four days.
What They Call a Fightback
Rizwan, who showed grit in valuing his wicket, swept Taijul past square leg for a boundary to raise his 14th fifty, and Agha soon reached his 12th fifty off 74 balls. But the pressure kept tightening. An ambitious shot got the better of Agha as Taijul kept Bangladesh on the front foot and Pakistan’s last hope shrank to a lone batter at the crease.
Bangladesh bowling coach Shaun Tait called Taijul’s effort “a warrior effort,” saying, “That was a warrior effort from Taijul, to bowl all day in those conditions and then take the new ball at the end and get those wickets was fantastic,” and adding, “They (Pakistan) got on top of us for a period of time, but taking those two wickets late in the day means we go back to the dressing room fairly happy.”
The match now sits on the edge of a result shaped by Bangladesh’s bowling depth and Pakistan’s struggle to survive the chase. With one day left and three wickets in hand, the tourists remain trapped under a target that history says has never been successfully hunted down in test cricket.