Bangladesh resumed their chase of Pakistan’s pace with Tanzid Hasan and Mominul Haque building a steady start in the 2nd Test at Sylhet. After early movement from the bowlers, the hosts were 21 for 1 in 4.6 overs, with Tanzid on the attack and Mominul keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Quick facts
- Match: Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 2nd Test
- Venue: Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet
- Current score (live): 21/1 in 4.6 overs
- Bangladesh openers: Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Tanzid Hasan
- Pakistan’s new ball: Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad in the early overs
- Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first
Pakistan struck in the very first over as Mohammad Abbas got Mahmudul Hasan Joy caught at second slip for a duck. The ball was on a good length and shaped slightly away; Joy poked without stepping across properly, edged to Salman Agha, who took a low catch. The decision was sent upstairs, and the replay confirmed the fingers were underneath the ball, resulting in the wicket.
With Abbas continuing and the pitch holding a touch of dampness, Tanzid Hasan opened his Test account with a crisp on-drive for three at 1.1 overs. Khurram Shahzad then bowled with confidence in the next phase, including a beat outside edge at 1.4 that left Tanzid frustrated on 4/1.
At 1.3 overs, Mominul Haque nudged a ball to fine leg for a single, and soon after Tanzid worked square leg for two to move Bangladesh further ahead. The early overs ended with the batting pair settling in, reaching 6/1 after 1.5 overs.
Khurram Shahzad’s spell continued to test the batters’ timing. Tanzid tucked one through mid-wicket for a run at 1.6, taking Bangladesh to 7/1, before Abbas returned to tighten the line around the batters.
Abbas kept probing at 2.1 and 2.2, first delivering a boundary through point with Tanzid’s drive, then forcing Tanzid to leave a wide ball outside off. The scoreboard moved to 11/1 by 2.4 overs as Tanzid was struck on the pads after a delivery that came back into him.
Tanzid weathered the next few deliveries as Abbas angled one around the stumps and wide of off, with Tanzid leaving it alone when it was shaping away. Then came a key moment at 2.6: Abbas bowled a swinging ball down the leg and it slipped past Mohammad Rizwan, racing to the fine-leg fence for four byes, lifting Bangladesh to 17/1.
At 2.5 overs, Tanzid showed intent again by driving through the left of point for a couple. Despite Joy’s earlier dismissal on zero, Tanzid persisted with aggression, using the gaps and keeping the scoring rate ticking.
Khurram Shahzad then faced Mominul and Tanzid in the next over. Mominul found a single at 3.1 by pushing towards covers, before being beaten by a harder length at 3.2 where he aimed for the cover drive but sent it back to the bowler. At 3.3, Mominul punched to covers, and the over continued with Bangladesh maintaining control.
At 3.4 and 3.5, Khurram Shahzad pressed Mominul again with tailing deliveries. Mominul twice attempted the drive, but the inside-edge and the angled bounce created discomfort; at 3.5, the ball hit his thigh pad off his back foot, prompting a gentle LBW appeal that the umpire turned down. Still, the batters kept moving, taking them to 17/1 after 3.5 overs.
Then came an unusual sequence at 3.6 as Mominul pushed towards the right of covers and ran. A throw followed towards the bowler’s end and struck the stumps, but it deflected toward the mid-wicket area; both batters scampered for an extra run. The umpire referred it upstairs, and the replay showed Mominul was well inside the crease when the ball hit, meaning the additional run stood.
From there, Abbas took over and Tanzid negotiated a short ball at 4.1 by blocking to mid-wicket. At 4.2, Abbas delivered a pitched-up line around off and Tanzid struck it well, only for it to go straight to point. At 4.3, Abbas again bowled short and down the leg, and Tanzid left it, marking a rare mistake in an otherwise consistent spell.
At 4.4, Tanzid punched on the off side and ran hard, taking a quick single after finding Sajid Khan at point. Finally, at 4.5, Mominul Haque tucked Abbas’s ball in front of mid-wicket for another rapid run, keeping Bangladesh on 20/1.
At 4.6 overs, Abbas returned with that nagging length, shaping it into the batter. Tanzid Hasan stepped out to nudge it toward mid-wicket, missed the timing, and was struck on the front pad—Bangladesh moving to 21/1 as the over continued.
Pakistan will look to translate the pressure into wickets, while Bangladesh’s focus remains on building through the new partnership and squeezing runs out of the damp, challenging conditions in Sylhet.
