Once again, Taijul Islam was the deciding factor. The left-arm spinner struck at a critical moment to steer Bangladesh to a spotless result against Pakistan in a two-match Test series. Heading into the last day, Bangladesh still needed three wickets, while Pakistan faced a chase of 121 runs with play resuming. Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan, with Sajid on 36, approached the session with confidence and for a brief period the home side looked slightly unsettled rather than in full control.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto then opted for a break in proceedings, a move aimed at disrupting rhythm and easing the pressure on his bowlers by forcing the batters to reset. The strategy worked immediately. Taijul struck with a short-of-a-length delivery that tempted Sajid into playing away from the body, resulting in an outside edge. Tanzid Hasan Tamim raced forward and held a sharp catch to remove the set batter. Taijul, who was working toward his 17th five-wicket haul in Tests, quickly swung the game further in Bangladesh’s favour, and it did not take long before the hosts completed the job.
The left-arm spinner, along with Shoriful Islam, shared the remaining two wickets. Shoriful ensured Rizwan did not reach a well-earned century, denying Pakistan a late consolation milestone. Taijul had bowled 31 overs on a hot fourth day, maintaining relentless control and intensity. His impact had begun earlier as well—Shanto brought him into the attack with the new ball after the partnership was taking shape, and Taijul proved instrumental in dismantling it.
There was plenty to discuss when Shanto handed Taijul the new ball, particularly because many expected a pace option to make use of the hard Kookaburra rather than a spinner. Yet Taijul answered the challenge emphatically. He broke the dangerous stand between Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, then returned in the following over to remove Hasan Ali and expose the tail.
Shanto later explained that he had full trust in Taijul’s new-ball ability. “No, before the new ball came, you will see that I did a lot of in-and-out field placements because the condition of the ball was very bad and they were batting well. We were not really getting that kind of help. So we were waiting so that the runs would not get too high at that stage,” Shanto said.
He added that the plan was always to keep the pressure on once the ball was replaced. “In fact, we knew it would be difficult to bat with the new ball because we have quality spinners and pace bowlers, and we thought we might be able to trouble them again,” he explained. “So Taijul bhai has bowled with the new ball many times in the past. The skills that Taijul bhai has and the way he bowls with the new ball make it very challenging for the batters, even set batters. So I tried to take this opportunity and Alhamdulillah, Taijul bhai was able to deliver for the team,” he added.
Even if Taijul does not always dominate headlines, his output in Test cricket over the last three years has been among the very best. In that span, he has produced seven five-wicket hauls and has taken more wickets than any other spinner currently active in world cricket. Since April 2022, Taijul has collected 97 wickets from 19 Tests. For comparison, Nathan Lyon has 85 wickets from 22 Tests, while Ravindra Jadeja is third with 84 wickets from 25 matches.
Shanto also stressed that as captain he naturally expects extra from Taijul because of the standard he consistently sets. “As a captain, I always expect a little more from Taijul bhai. Sometimes he may get a little carried away on the field, but he bowls for long periods and we still put that pressure on him because we know he has to bowl better,” he said. “He has been delivering for so many years and will continue to do more in the future. It is good to see that.”
