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Bangladesh delivered a thoroughly dominant performance over two weeks, sweeping the Test series against Pakistan 2-0, despite a rain-affected start to the second Test.
The 10-wicket victory in the first match marked Bangladesh's maiden Test win over Pakistan. A repeat of this performance in the second Test solidified a historic achievement for the team. This series victory is also Bangladesh's first Test series win (of two matches or more) against a team other than Zimbabwe and the West Indies, according to the ICC. The win has boosted Bangladesh in the ICC World Test Championship standings, propelling them to No. 4 with a points percentage of 45.83, leapfrogging England. Beginning the fifth day on 42/0, needing 143 more runs to win, Bangladesh got off to a steady start, inching towards the modest target without taking too many risks. They added another 80 runs in the morning session but lost both openers within the space of 12 runs. Despite the wickets, the experienced duo of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque put together a 57-run stand to keep the visitors on track. Shanto was dismissed soon after lunch for 38, and Mominul perished for 34, causing Bangladesh to stutter slightly towards the end. However, the veteran pair of Mushfiqur Rahim (22*) and Shakib Al Hasan (21*) persisted and guided Bangladesh over the line without further hiccups. Earlier in the Test, after opting to field first, Bangladesh produced another fantastic performance, bowling Pakistan out for a modest 274 runs. Despite half-centuries from captain Shan Masood and opener Saim Ayub, Mehidy Hasan Miraz's five-wicket haul, combined with three wickets from Taskin Ahmed, ensured that Pakistan's first innings total remained within reach. Pakistan responded brilliantly with the ball, with Khurram Shahzad leading the fightback with a six-wicket haul that gave the home team a slim lead of 12 runs. However, Bangladesh's bowlers were not done. Two more heroes stepped up for the visitors--24-year-old Hasan Mahmud and 21-year-old Nahid Rana--who took a combined nine wickets between them as Pakistan collapsed for just 172 runs in the second innings, setting Bangladesh a target of 185 with four sessions left in the game. Poor weather and bad light stopped play early on Day 4 but only delayed the inevitable as the visitors wrapped up the Test with six wickets to spare. (ANI)
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