Ban vs Pak: Pakistan inch closer to the target but a mighty task ahead with three wickets in hand
Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan put a stop to the rot after Bangladesh dismissed both set batters, Babar Azam and Shan Masood. Salman and Rizwan built a 134-run partnership off 224 balls, scoring 70-plus knocks each. But Salman’s wicket, followed by Hasan Ali heading back to the pavilion, put Bangladesh on the front foot as the fourth day came to a close.
Babar, Shan revive Pakistan after early blows
At the start of the day, Pakistan looked grossly out of contention to pose a challenge to Bangladesh, who had set a 437-run target. That feeling was further reinforced when Pakistan lost both their openers for less than 50 runs. Out came Shan Masood and Babar Azam, both of whom accelerated the run rate, scoring 92 runs off just 115 balls.
Pakistan seemed to be sailing smoothly, at least as smoothly as Bangladesh’s bowling allowed. But with Babar Azam feathering a Taijul Islam delivery, the hosts got the breakthrough they had been looking for. Two quick wickets followed, with Shan Masood ending his resilient innings on 71 and Saud Shakeel enduring another failure in this series.
Bangladesh regain control with late wickets
The last session began with half the Pakistan side back in the pavilion for just 200 runs and Salman and Rizwan at the crease. That changed the visitors’ fate considerably. The two batters kept ticking the scorecard over, inching their team closer to the target that once seemed unassailable.
Bangladesh took the new ball two deliveries after it became available, and of all the pace bowlers they had, entrusted spinner Taijul Islam to bowl with it. And it worked well for them as he broke the partnership by dismissing Salman Ali Agha.
This reduced whatever chances Pakistan had of winning dramatically, and so did the next wicket, which saw Hasan Ali depart. The day ended with Pakistan still 121 runs short of the target. With just three wickets in hand, that remains a gigantic task for the visitors, who are closer to a 2-0 clean sweep than ever.
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