Bangladesh Cricket Team (X-cricbuzz) Nahid Rana produced a match-defining spell as Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 104 runs in the rain-affected first Test in Dhaka on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after a dramatic collapse on the final day. Chasing 268 for victory, the Pakistan national cricket team were still in the contest at 119 for 3 and later 163 all out as Bangladesh achieved a memorable victory in Mirpur. The visitors briefly rebuilt their innings through debutant Abdullah Fazal, who played a composed knock of 66, but the chase unraveled quickly as his wicket fell early in the final over.
Watch
Why Suryakumar Yadav Will Lose India T20I Captaincy: Everything You Need To Know Fazal’s dismissal came after a sharp spin delivery from Taijul Islam trapped him lbw, confirmed by review, and Pakistan’s resistance crumbled almost immediately. Salman Ali Agha fell in the very next over, slipped and firmly shifted the momentum in Bangladesh’s favour. From there, Rana took full control of the game. Despite an early run, he came back with devastating effect, removing Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Noman Ali and Shaheen Afridi. His spell included a 147km/h nip-backer that cleared Rizwan and underlined his growing reputation as Bangladesh’s emerging pace leader. Earlier, Bangladesh posted a strong total built around Najmul Hossain Shant’s 87 to set Pakistan a target that always looked challenging on a final-day pitch. Pakistan’s chase got off to a cautious start after losing Imam-ul-Haq before lunch, but Fazal’s counter-attack briefly revived hopes. However, Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling attack provided constant pressure and eventually forced a collapse that saw five wickets fall in the final over. The result marks Bangladesh’s third consecutive Test win over Pakistan and their first home win against them, underscoring a new era of confidence in red-ball cricket.
