Bangladesh national cricket team tightened their grip on the Sylhet Test against Pakistan national cricket team after a dominant batting display on the third afternoon, reaching 307 for 6 at tea and extending their overall lead to 353 runs. Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 90 at the interval, while Taijul Islam provided support at the other end on 8 not out. Despite picking up two wickets in the session, Pakistan struggled to break Bangladesh’s control of the contest. Mushfiqur, Litton Lead Bangladesh Charge The afternoon session belonged largely to Mushfiqur and Litton Das, who frustrated the Pakistan bowlers with a composed and aggressive partnership. Litton reached his half-century in the opening over after lunch, marking the third occasion in his career that he has registered both a century and a fifty in the same Test match. The achievement made him the most successful Bangladesh wicketkeeper in that category, surpassing Mushfiqur’s previous mark of two such instances. The right-hander also enjoyed a slice of luck when Sajid Khan dropped a return catch off his own bowling with Litton on 58. Soon after Mushfiqur brought up his fifty, Litton’s innings came to an end on 69 when his attempted uppercut off Hasan Ali was caught by Saud Shakeel at fly slip. Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad continued to impress, claiming his fourth wicket by clean-bowling Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 19. Tension Rises in Sylhet The gloomy atmosphere in Sylhet briefly came alive when Mushfiqur became involved in a heated exchange with Pakistan captain Shan Masood, who also appeared to direct comments toward Taijul. Bangladesh responded immediately on the field as Taijul produced a fearless pull shot off Shahzad, drawing loud cheers from the crowd and underlining the home side’s confidence. Mushfiqur then accelerated the scoring, attacking Sajid with powerful straight drives before collecting consecutive boundaries off Shahzad to move closer to another Test century. Pakistan Struggle for Breakthroughs Earlier in the day, Shahzad had provided Pakistan an early breakthrough by trapping Najmul Hossain Shanto lbw for 15 with a delivery that jagged back sharply. Bangladesh initially adopted a cautious approach before Litton counterattacked with fluent strokeplay. The wicketkeeper-batter survived a major scare on 38 after a mix-up with Mushfiqur left him stranded mid-pitch, but Babar Azam failed to hit the stumps with a direct throw. Pakistan had earlier been bowled out for 232 in their first innings, with Babar top-scoring with 68. Sajid provided late resistance with a flurry of four sixes, but Bangladesh’s bowlers remained dominant. Pace sensation Nahid Rana and spinner Taijul claimed three wickets each, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy laid the foundation for Bangladesh’s strong second innings with a brisk half-century. With Mushfiqur still at the crease and the lead already beyond 350, Bangladesh head into the final sessions in a commanding position as Pakistan search desperately for a route back into the Test.

Pakistan national cricket team were bowled out for 232 in reply to Bangladesh national cricket team’s 278 on the second day of the Test in Sylhet, handing the hosts a valuable 46-run first-innings lead. Pakistan’s innings was anchored by Babar Azam, who scored a composed 68 off 84 deliveries, but the visitors failed to build meaningful partnerships around him. Late resistance from Sajid Khan narrowed the deficit after an aggressive cameo of 38 from just 28 balls. Bangladesh’s bowling attack shared the spoils, with fast bowler Nahid Rana and spinner Taijul Islam claiming three wickets apiece. Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz chipped in with two wickets each. Pakistan endured an early collapse after resuming play. Taskin struck twice in quick succession to remove debutants Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais, leaving the visitors under pressure in the opening session. Fazal edged behind, while Awais miscued a delivery onto his pads and was caught at short midwicket. Captain Shan Masood managed 21 before falling to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who also dismissed Saud Shakeel soon after. Shakeel attempted a sweep but only succeeded in ballooning a catch to wicketkeeper Litton Das. Babar Azam then steadied the innings with a 63-run partnership alongside Salman Agha. Babar looked in fluent touch, striking ten boundaries with a mix of crisp drives and controlled cuts. However, his innings ended when he lofted Nahid Rana to mid-on, marking the third consecutive Test in which Rana has dismissed him. Taijul Islam triggered another collapse by removing Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, and Hasan Ali in quick succession. Rizwan’s dismissal left Pakistan without any recognized batters, but Sajid Khan counterattacked late in the innings. The all-rounder entertained with four sixes, including three consecutive maximums off Taijul Islam, before eventually falling to Nahid Rana. Sajid’s aggressive approach helped Pakistan reduce the deficit significantly before the innings ended at 232. Earlier, Bangladesh were bowled out for 278 thanks largely to a magnificent century from Litton Das. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 126, hitting 16 fours and two sixes while farming the strike effectively with the lower order. Pakistan’s pace attack impressed during Bangladesh’s innings, with Mir Hamza Shahzad leading the effort with figures of 4 for 81 as the visitors claimed nine wickets through their fast bowlers. With a 46-run lead in hand, Bangladesh will now look to build a commanding advantage in their second innings as the Test heads into a crucial third day.

Hasan Ali suffered an injury scare during the opening day of the second Test between Pakistan national cricket team and Bangladesh national cricket team in Sylhet on Saturday after landing awkwardly while attempting a return catch. The incident occurred in the eighth over of Bangladesh’s innings after Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Bowling the fifth ball of the over, Hasan delivered a short-of-a-length ball that debutant opener Tanzid Hasan chipped back towards him. Hasan dived forward in an attempt to complete a caught-and-bowled dismissal but fell heavily and awkwardly onto the ground. The Pakistan team physio rushed onto the field immediately as Hasan lay face down near the pitch. After receiving treatment, the fast bowler appeared visibly dazed while getting to his feet, prompting medical staff to call for a stretcher to carry him off the field. Salman Agha completed the remainder of the over. Television footage later showed Pakistan fast-bowling coach Umar Gul in discussion with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed as Hasan was being taken to the medical room at the stadium. Although there was no official confirmation regarding the nature of the injury, Pakistan were handed a major boost when Hasan returned later in the opening session and resumed bowling. Hasan had been included in Pakistan’s playing XI after impressing in the first Test in Dhaka, where he claimed four wickets, including three in the second innings. Pakistan made three changes for the Sylhet Test following their 104-run defeat in the series opener, with Shaheen Shah Afridi among the players left out.

Pakistan national cricket team have been penalised eight World Test Championship (WTC) points for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first Test against Bangladesh national cricket team in Dhaka, a match Pakistan lost by 104 runs. The sanction has pushed Pakistan down to eighth place in the current WTC standings. They now have four points, level with ninth-placed West Indies cricket team, although Pakistan remain ahead on percentage points — 11.11 compared to West Indies’ 4.17. Pakistan were found to be eight overs short of the required target after time allowances were taken into account. Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the penalty under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to minimum over-rate offences. According to ICC regulations, players are fined five percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl within the allotted time. In addition, teams lose one WTC point for each over they fall short. Pakistan are the second side to be penalised for a slow over-rate in the ongoing WTC cycle. Earlier, England cricket team were docked two WTC points following the Lord’s Test against India national cricket team in July last year. England’s tally dropped from 24 to 22 points, while their percentage points decreased from 66.67 to 61.11, causing them to slip from second to third place in the standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s victory in Dhaka lifted them above England into sixth place in the WTC table. Current WTC leaders Australia national cricket team, champions of the 2021–23 cycle, have won seven of their eight Tests so far and sit comfortably at the top with 87.50 percentage points. New Zealand national cricket team, winners of the inaugural 2019–21 edition, are second with 77.78 percentage points, while defending champions South Africa national cricket team occupy third place with 75.00. Sri Lanka national cricket team are fourth with 66.67, followed by India in fifth with 48.15.

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.