Bangladesh’s Bold Declaration Pays Off as Pakistan Crumble in Dhaka Test

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hailed his side’s fearless approach after a daring declaration helped secure a memorable Test victory over Pakistan in Dhaka.

Bangladesh declared their second innings at 240, setting Pakistan a challenging target of 268 on the final day. The move, considered risky given the time left in the match, proved decisive as Bangladesh’s bowlers dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up to clinch the win.

Speaking after the match, Shanto revealed that the team entered the final day with only one objective — victory.

“I think it is important to take such brave decisions,” Shanto said. “The Test team is slowly growing up, and this kind of decision will help us in the future.”

The Bangladesh skipper credited the team’s bowling attack for giving him the confidence to declare aggressively. Bangladesh fielded a five-man bowling unit featuring the likes of Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Nahid Rana.

“The reason behind taking this decision is the bowling attack we have. All five bowlers are skilled and bowled well,” he said.

Shanto added that head coach Phil Simmons reinforced the attacking mindset during the tea interval.

“Our message was simple — we wanted to win regardless of the situation. Even if we couldn’t win, we wanted to make it hard for Pakistan. We never thought about settling for a draw,” Shanto explained.

Bangladesh constantly searched for wickets during Pakistan’s chase, with Shanto frequently adjusting the field to balance boundary protection with attacking catching positions.

“When the game was on the line, I kept an in-and-out field. Defending for long periods on this pitch wasn’t easy. I believed if we created pressure through good bowling partnerships, wicket-taking opportunities would come,” he said.

The captain also spoke about his growing understanding with young pacer Nahid Rana, revealing that he now allows the fast bowler greater freedom to work through situations independently.

“Sometimes I don’t even go up to him now. It is important that he bowls from his own understanding because it will help him in the future,” Shanto said.

While pleased with the victory, Shanto admitted he was disappointed not to convert his own strong performances into even bigger scores. The Bangladesh captain scored 101 in the first innings and followed it with 87 in the second.

“I think I could have played a bigger knock in the first innings,” he admitted. “If one of the greats of the game had been in my place, that 101 would probably have become a double-century.”

Shanto narrowly missed joining an elite list of batters to score twin centuries in a Test on three separate occasions — a group that includes Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting and David Warner.

Despite missing the milestone, Shanto said he enjoyed batting in difficult conditions throughout the match and was satisfied with his overall contribution to Bangladesh’s landmark win.