Throwing an open challenge to Bangladesh, Salman Ali Agha said that Pakistan will aim to win the opening Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Towards day 5, Bangladesh lead by 179 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Salman said if Bangladesh were brave enough to set Pakistan a target of around 260 in 70 overs, the visitors would back down to chase it down. He added that the match is close and Pakistan will aim to knock out the Tigers as soon as possible on the final day.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan 1st Test Day 4: Highlights | Scorecard
“Right now, you can’t say who has the upper hand in this game. And it’s going to be an exciting day of Test cricket tomorrow. We just want to get them out as quickly as possible. That’s going to be our strategy. I don’t know about the rest,” Salman said in a press conference after the day’s match.
“We will definitely go for the win. If they are brave enough to do it – give us 70 overs and 260 – we will definitely go for the chase. But I don’t think they will,” Salman said.
Salman, however, said that if Pakistan were in Bangladesh’s position, they would first try to post a huge number and knock the opposition out of the contest.
“If we (Pakistan) were in that position, we would try for that (posting a big total) and just make sure we take them out and then give them whatever target we want to give them,” Salman said.
HOW IS MIRPUR TEST V PREPARED
Rain and fading light continued to disrupt play on Day 4 of the opening Test, but Bangladesh still took the lead against Pakistan. Despite only being bowled in 48.4 overs due to repeated rain interruptions, the hosts increased their overall lead with seven wickets still in hand.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto once again led from the front with an unbeaten 58 after his maiden innings century, while Mominul Haque added a valuable 56 during a crucial 105-run stand.
Bangladesh finished at 152 for three with Mushfiqur Rahim not out alongside Shanta. With the Mirpur pitch set to deteriorate further, Bangladesh will look to build a lead of over 250 before calling it quits on the final day.
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
11 May 2026 21:01 IST
