Bangladesh tightened their grip on the second Test through a disciplined bowling effort and a productive alliance between Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque. After Pakistan were dismissed for 232, Bangladesh replied strongly in their second innings, reaching 110 for 3 at the close of Day 2. With that position, the hosts carried a commanding lead of 156 runs into the final hours, setting the tone for what followed.
Pakistan began the day on 21 without loss, but the opening partnership barely lasted long. Taskin Ahmed made the breakthrough in the second over of the session, drawing first blood by taking the outside edge of Abdullah Fazal as the ball found the slip cordon. Taskin struck again in his next spell, sending Azan Awais back when an inside edge deflected the ball onto the pads and ballooned into the safe hands of Mominul.
Babar Azam and Shan Masood tried to steady the innings, but their resistance ended after a 38-run stand. The Pakistan captain was removed when Mehidy Hasan Miraz induced an error and held a catch at short cover. Mehidy then struck once more, cutting short Saud Shakeel’s effort as the batter fell to a dismissal off a sweep attempt, leaving Pakistan reeling at 79 for 4.
Babar and Salman Agha managed the remainder of the session before Lunch without further drama, bringing Pakistan to 96 for 4. The next phase belonged to Babar as he launched his attack early in the second period, smashing two boundaries off Taijul Islam and another off Shoriful Islam. That burst helped him reach a 63-ball fifty and pushed the score along steadily.
Salman Agha and Babar’s momentum continued as the fifth-wicket partnership moved beyond the 50-run mark. However, Nahid Rana ended Babar’s stay by trapping him with a catch at mid-on after he chipped the ball. Shortly after, Taijul Islam removed Agha as well, with the batter top-edging a sweep and handing over a crucial wicket.
Hasan Ali managed to find a few scoring shots, but Pakistan suffered another jolt when Mohammad Rizwan became Taijul’s second wicket. From there, Pakistan slipped to 174 for 7. Hasan added a boundary to his personal tally before Taijul completed his spell with a third wicket, trimming the visitors further.
At Tea, Khurram Shahzad and Sajid Khan tried to spark a recovery, pushing Pakistan to 206 for 8. Nahid struck soon after the restart, removing Shahzad. Sajid then played a more aggressive role, hitting a hat-trick of sixes off Taijul followed by a four off Nahid, keeping the innings alive. Yet the fast bowler finished the comeback story by taking Sajid’s wicket at third man, and Bangladesh ensured Pakistan were left with a 46-run lead at that stage.
With the ball already doing the work, Bangladesh carried their advantage into their second-innings reply. Mahmudul and Tanzid Hasan Tamim struck boundaries to set a positive tone early. Tanzid’s progress, though, was cut short when Shahzad dismissed him with a leading edge that went straight to gully.
Mahmudul continued to anchor the innings with consistent scoring, steadily driving Bangladesh’s lead beyond 100 within the first ten overs of the day. Mominul joined him in a quick 76-run partnership, and Mominul reached a 58-ball half-century as the duo extended the advantage further.
The stand eventually came to an end when an attempted heave resulted in a catch, and the wicket was taken by Mohammad Abbas. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul then brought the lead past 150, but the No. 3 batter’s stay lasted only until the last ball of the day. On that final delivery, Shanto edged a Shahzad ball behind and departed for 30.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 278 and 110/3 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 52, Mominul Haque 30; Khurram Shahzad 2-19) lead Pakistan 232 (Babar Azam 68; Nahid Rana 3-60, Taijul Islam 3-67) by 156 runs.
