5 heroes of Bangladesh's historic Test triumph over Pakistan ft. Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Bangladesh beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, September 3. Set a target of 185, the visitors resumed their second innings on 42-0 and got home in 56 overs. Courtesy of the triumph, Bangladesh won the two-match series 2-0, registering their first-ever Test series triumph over Pakistan.
After beating Pakistan by 10 wickets in the first Test at Rawalpindi, the visitors came up with another clinical effort in the second match at the same venue. Bowling first, they restricted Pakistan to 274 and then recovered from 26-6 to reach 262. Their bowlers then combined to bundle out Pakistan for 172 in the second innings and chased down a target of 185 in a rather proficient manner.
In the wake of Bangladesh's historic 2-0 Test win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi, we pick five players who were key to the visitors' triumph.
#1 Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz had an outstanding Test series. The off-spinner was the leading wicket-taker in the series. In four innings, he claimed 10 scalps at an average of 18.60, with one four-fer and one five-fer. The 26-year-old claimed 4-21 in the second innings of the first Test and 5-61 in the first innings of the second Test, constantly keeping Pakistan under the pump.
Mehidy batted twice during the series and on both occasions made a massive impact. He scored 77 in the first innings of the first Test as Bangladesh responded with 565 to Pakistan's 448-6 declared. In the first innings of the second Test, the visitors had crumbled to 26-6 after Pakistan made 274. Mehidy, however, contributed 78 off 124 to bring Bangladesh right back into the contest.
#2 Mushfiqur Rahim
Veteran Bangladesh batter Mushfiqur Rahim proved that there is still some fight left in his tank. He played a defining knock of 191, which was instrumental in the visitors taking the 1-0 lead in the series. Having declared their first innings at 448-6 in the first Test, Pakistan had claimed five Bangladesh wickets for 218.
Mushfiqur, however, led his team's fightback, adding 114 for the sixth wicket with Litton Das (56) and 196 for the seventh wicket with Mehidy (77). The 37-year-old occupied the crease for 522 minutes and faced 341 balls, hitting 22 fours and a six. Fittingly, he was at the crease when Bangladesh won the second Test.
#3 Litton Das
Das also played a key role in Bangladesh's win, making significant contributions with the willow. He batted twice and played defining knocks on both occasions, finishing the Test series with 194 runs at an average of 97.
Das contributed 56 off 78 balls in the first innings of the opening Test. He took on Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah, hammering him for three fours and a six in one over, making a statement of intent.
The 29-year-old keeper-batter then scored a game-changing 138 in the first innings of the second Test. In response to Pakistan's first-innings total of 274, Bangladesh had crumbled to 26-6. However, Das swung the momentum of the Test in the visitors favor, hitting 13 fours and four sixes in his 228-ball stay. He added 165 for the seventh wicket with Mehidy to crush Pakistan's confidence.
#4 Hasan Mahmud
Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud also made a crucial contribution in the team's historic triumph, claiming nine wickets in four matches at an average of 24.12. Mahmud picked up two scalps in the first innings of the first Test and one in the second, while being economical.
The 24-year-old right-arm pacer went wicketless in the first innings of the second Test and was a bit expensive as well, conceding 60 runs in 14 overs. However, he produced a superb spell in the second innings. Mahmud's figures of 5-43 saw Pakistan being knocked over for 172, laying the foundation for Bangladesh's win.
#5 Nahid Rana
Young Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana didn't produce outstanding numbers by any standards, but did well enough to leave his stamp on the series. The 21-year-old claimed six wickets in four innings at an average of 39.50.
Nahid made a poor start to the series, registering figures of 0-105 from 19 overs in the first innings of the first Test. He bowled only six overs in the second innings, but got the big wicket of Babar Azam, who chopped an overpitched delivery outside off back onto his stumps.
In the first innings of the second Test, Nahid again claimed only one wicket, but it was a huge scalp once more. The pacer had in-form Pakistan keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan caught at first slip. The youngster's most significant contribution came in the second innings as he claimed 4-44 and played a huge role in Pakistan being bundled out for 172 in 46.4 overs.