After an exciting fifth day of batting collapses, pace bowler Nahid Rana took five wickets as Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 104 runs in a rain-hit first Test on Tuesday.
Pakistan, chasing 268 to win in Dhaka, were 119/3 before falling to 163 all out in the last session, despite a heroic 66 from debutant Abdullah Fazal.
With the win, Bangladesh took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match home series.
Bangladesh’s Test victory was their third overall against Pakistan and their first at home.
Before Rana stunned the opposition with career-best figures of 5-40, the 23-year-old Fazal and Salman Agha combined for 51 runs to boost Pakistan’s chances of winning.
The 23-year-old Rana changed the course of the game with his pace and reverse swing, taking four wickets for just ten runs in his last 4.5-over performance.
“Very happy — proud of all the guys, the way we played. We have been working hard the last few months and slowly we are getting better at Test cricket — that’s one thing we have always wanted to do,” AFP quoted Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto as saying.
With the win, Shanto also tied Mushfiqur Rahim’s record of seven Test victories as Bangladesh’s captain, reaching the milestone in just 17 games as opposed to Mushfiqur’s 34.
Bangladesh had a 179-run lead at 152-3 going into the last day, but despite Shanto’s 87, a string of wickets caused them to stumble.
In order to give Pakistan a tough target and an opportunity for their bowlers to take advantage of the deteriorating pitch, Bangladesh declared their second innings on 240-9.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled debutant and first-innings centurion Azan Awais for 15, while Taskin Ahmed dismissed opener Imam-ul-Haq for two.
Before Fazal and Agha counterattacked in their fourth-wicket partnership, Rana dismissed Pakistan skipper Shan Masood for two. However, Bangladesh bowlers showed their strength on home soil to win the day’s last session.
The final strikes were administered by Rana. After catching Saud Shakeel behind, he produced the game-winning ball, an in-swinging yorker that bowled Mohammad Rizwan for 15 at a thunderous 147 kmph (91.3 mph).
After trapping Noman Ali LBW and bouncing out Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rana was on a roll. Mahmudul Hasan Joy finished the historic victory with a straightforward catch.
Pakistan captain Masood provided no justifications for his team’s inability to capitalize on crucial times throughout the game.
“In the first innings, with bat and ball, we needed to do better. When you have the game in your hands you have to push the opposition away, but we failed to do that,” he said.
Shanto’s batting prowess was evident as he led Bangladesh to 413 in the first innings with 101. After off-spinner Mehidy returned figures of 5-102, Pakistan surrendered a narrow advantage after responding with 386 in their first innings.
On the third and fourth days of the Test, rain played spoilsport, causing a few overs to be lost owing to disruptions.
The second Test is scheduled to start in Sylhet on Saturday.
