RAWALPINDI: Bangladesh reduced their deficit significantly by the end of Day 3 of the first Test against Pakistan, reaching 316-5. This impressive effort was led by notable performances from Shadman Islam, who scored 93 runs, and half-centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das.
Shadman and Mominul Haque provided a solid foundation with their partnership, setting the stage for the innings. Mushfiqur, who is currently unbeaten on 55, and Litton Das, with an unbeaten 52 off 58 balls, further bolstered Bangladesh’s innings. Litton Das particularly shone with his aggressive batting, including an 18-run over against Naseem Shah.
Despite the strong batting display, Bangladesh still trails by 132 runs.
Pakistan will be looking to improve their bowling performance, as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah struggled to make an impact.
The fourth day will see Mushfiqur and Litton resume their innings, aiming to close the gap further. Bangladesh lost only one wicket in the final session on Day 3: Shakib Al Hasan, who was dismissed for 15 by Saim Ayub, marking his maiden Test wicket. The partnership between Mushfiqur and Litton has added an unbeaten 98 runs to the total.
Earlier, Shadman Islam fell just short of a century, dismissed for 93 on the last ball of the tea session, leaving Bangladesh at 199-4. Mominul Haque, who had contributed a solid 50 runs, was dismissed by Khurram Shahzad on the first ball of the 52nd over.
Bangladesh began the day at 27/0, but Zakir Hasan was soon out to Naseem Shah, with Mohammad Rizwan taking a sharp catch. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was dismissed for 16 runs by Khurram Shahzad, but Shadman and Mominul’s partnership stabilized the innings with a strong 81-run stand.
Pakistan had declared their innings at 448/6 on Day 2, with Mohammad Rizwan scoring an unbeaten 171. Rizwan’s knock included 11 fours and three sixes, and he was just 29 runs short of a double century when Pakistan declared.
In the second session of Day 2, Pakistan added 81 runs to their total. Bangladesh’s bowlers, including Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud, each took two wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed one wicket each.
The two-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), running from August 21 to September 4, with both matches being played at the same venue. Pakistan, currently ranked sixth in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, has won two away series and lost one.
