Bangladesh made a statement in their return to Test cricket, piling up 301 for 4 on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. A captain’s century from Najmul Hossain Shanto lit up the innings, while a controlling stand with Mominul Haque carried the momentum through the difficult phases. Pakistan were left chasing answers as the day’s rhythm shifted from early movement to a batting surface that increasingly opened up.
Quick facts
- Match: First Test, Bangladesh vs Pakistan
- Venue: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
- Bangladesh at stumps: 301/4 on day one (85 overs available)
- Key batting: Najmul Hossain Shanto 101; Mominul Haque 91
- Shanto’s partnership: 170 runs with Mominul (Mominul fell 9 runs short of a century)
- Pakistan bowling highlights: Mohammad Abbas took 1 wicket (figures: 1-51)
- Pakistan extras: 32 total, including 16 byes
- Unfinished stand at end: Mushfiqur Rahim 48* and Litton Das 8*
- Result context: Day ended with Bangladesh in a dominant position
There was genuine early unease for Bangladesh’s batting plans, with Shan Masood opting to bowl after winning the toss. The pitch, though typically offering something in Mirpur, came with a notably heavy covering of grass for local standards. Both sides leaned into that look by selecting three seam-bowling options each, a choice that initially appeared to pay immediate dividends.
The first stretch contained a burst of boundaries, but Pakistan’s pacers then tightened their line and length as the session moved forward. Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s probing early movement helped create pressure, and Shaheen Shah Afridi drew a loose prod from outside off. Hasan Ali then struck with enough swing to force a nick from Shadman Islam, with Salman Agha holding the catch in the slips. Bangladesh were reduced to 31 for 2, and the contest threatened to slip away.
From there, the innings settled into a patient, methodical recovery. Mominul Haque and Shanto built their partnership with calm shot selection, absorbing the new-ball threat as the ball gradually lost its early assistance. Pakistan also suffered in the field when a key chance went begging in the slips—an edge from Mominul slipped through the space between Agha and debutant Abdullah Fazal, with no finger taking it.
Shanto takes control as conditions flatten
As the surface flattened and the batters found their timing, scoring quickened noticeably. Shaheen, after nine overs into his spell, struggled to reproduce the earlier threat, surrendering nine runs in each of his first two overs of a second phase. Shanto responded by lifting the tempo, driving through the off side and eventually clearing the ropes off part-timer Salman Agha for the day’s first six.
Bangladesh crossed the three-figure mark before lunch, and the partnership looked firmly established by that point. After the break, it became largely Shanto’s territory, with repeated advances down the pitch and well-placed strikes through cover and mid-off. Mominul offered the contrasting style—less flamboyant, more deliberate—working the late cut with precision and letting Pakistan’s plans unravel under sustained pressure.
Pakistan tried changing angles and tempo by shuffling their five bowlers in search of a breakthrough. However, the stand kept growing until Abbas intervened in the final over before the session ended, bringing the partnership up to 170. The dismissal, in particular, felt harsh: Shanto had reached his ninth Test century with a cover-driven boundary, only to be undone on the very first ball of the next over.
Abbas came around the wicket and found enough movement back in to trap Shanto on the knee roll. The initial decision was not out, but Hawkeye overturned it after confirming the ball was crashing into the top of middle stump. Shanto walked off to a standing ovation from a packed, sweltering Dhaka crowd, finishing with 12 fours and two sixes.
Mushfiqur Rahim took over the innings after Shanto’s departure, combining with Mominul to keep Pakistan working hard. Discipline dipped further as the bowling became increasingly wayward and the fielding grew sloppier, with extras piling up—32 in total, including 16 byes. The pair added 75 more runs before Noman Ali finally broke the stand, removing Mominul for 91 and denying him a deserved hundred.
Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 48, with Litton Das on 8* as Bangladesh closed the day. A slow over rate, worsened by the extension, meant that only 85 overs were possible even after an extra 30 minutes were added to the schedule.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 301/4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 101, Mominul Haque 91; Mohammad Abbas 1-51) vs Pakistan
