Rain and poor visibility once again played spoilsport as play dragged on for less than 49 overs on day three. Even with the weather squeezing the contest, Bangladesh pushed their advantage out to 179 runs, finishing the day on 152 for 3. The platform was laid by half-centuries from Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain, who kept their composure while conditions swung against the batters.
At a glance
- Less than 49 overs were bowled due to rain and bad light.
- Bangladesh moved their lead to 179 runs.
- Bangladesh ended day three on 152/3.
- Mominul Haque made 56 and Najmul Hossain made 58*.
- Bangladesh were 413 in the first innings, with Najmul Hossain Shanto 101 and Mominul Haque 91.
- Pakistan’s first-innings total was 386.
- Pakistan’s Azan Awais scored 103; Mohammad Rizwan made 59; Salman Agha made 58; Abdullah Fazal scored 60.
- Mohammad Abbas took 5-92 for Pakistan in Bangladesh’s chase of runs.
Bangladesh’s third-wicket resistance stood on an important 105-run partnership between Mominul and Najmul. It was a stand built not just on technique, but also on timing and a few moments of fortune, particularly for Mominul. At 15, he edged a ball that looked destined for the slips, only for it to fall short after taking a deflection off the wicketkeeper’s pads. He was then reprieved again at 43 when Fazal misjudged a catch on short leg shortly after the 130-minute lunch and subsequent rain interruption.
Earlier in the day, Shadman Islam started with intent, carving Shaheen Afridi for a boundary over backward point right from the first ball of his renewed stay. That early spark did not last, though, as the conditions eventually tightened and Bangladesh’s batters faced more disciplined bowling.
Mahmudul Hasan, meanwhile, had a rougher passage. He survived a run-out scare after a misunderstanding in the middle, but the reprieve was brief. Mohammad Abbas struck soon after, trapping him legbefore on 5.
Pakistan’s pressure, Bangladesh’s patience
Shadman also fell quickly. Hasan Ali, in his opening over of the day, got the ball to move just enough to produce the outside edge that sent Shadman back.
Pakistan did send down their plans with urgency, and even spent a review early in the search for wickets. Yet the decisive breakthroughs refused to arrive quickly. Mominul and Najmul absorbed the pressure, sometimes beaten by the movement, at other times seeing the ball land just shy of fielders. They waited for the looser deliveries to disappear and kept the innings steady until the moment arrived for a big shift.
Eventually, the patience paid off for Bangladesh. As the stand grew, the pair stitched together key runs before Shaheen found a delivery in the corridor of uncertainty and the edge of Mominul’s bat was taken. Even after losing that wicket, Bangladesh maintained momentum with a few more boundaries before the day was abruptly cut short by bad light.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 413 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 101, Mominul Haque 91; Mohammad Abbas 5-92) & 152/3 (Najmul Hossain 58*, Mominul Haque 56) lead Pakistan 386 (Azan Awais 103, Abdullah Fazal 60, Mohammad Rizwan 59, Salman Agha 58; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-102) by 179 runs.
