Anything can happen on the final day
Mushfiqur, Shanto to lead Bangladesh on fifth day. Photo: Agamir Somoy
After four days of play in the Dhaka Test and nearly 268 overs completed, the mathematical equation remains exactly as it was at the toss. In other words, Bangladesh and Pakistan are equally placed for victory, or the match could still end in a draw. A Bangladesh win, a Pakistan win, or a draw, anything remains possible on the final day.
Rain disrupted play again on Monday, the fourth day, just as it had on the third. By midday, the sky darkened and heavy rain arrived. After more than two hours of interruption (165 minutes including the tea break), Bangladesh batters Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque returned to the crease. Officials then announced that play would resume for two hours and 30 minutes, weather permitting, until 6:15 pm. However, umpires stopped play at 5:15 pm due to poor light.
Although 360 overs are normally scheduled over four days of a Test match, only 267 overs have been bowled due to slow over rates and rain interruptions. That leaves a shortfall of 93 overs—more than an entire day’s play.
Rain arrived heavily during the lunch break. At that point, Mominul Haque was on 37 off 82 balls and Shanto on 34 off 57 balls. After a full session was lost to rain, the two batters returned without any change in approach. Mominul reached his fifty at a strike rate below 50 before falling soon after, edging a delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi to the wicketkeeper while attempting a mistimed shot.
At a stage when Bangladesh could have accelerated, the team management opted to send Mushfiqur Rahim instead of Litton Das. Mushfiq survived an early appeal off Noman Ali and later opened his scoring with a boundary off the same bowler. He ended the day unbeaten on 16 off 28 balls. At the other end, Shanto remained on 58 off 105 deliveries, batting at a better strike rate than Mominul but still below 50.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once said, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” Investor Warren Buffett has expressed a similar idea: “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” Bangladesh now appears uncertain whether to play for victory or settle for a draw. To win, they must take 10 Pakistan wickets, but whether the batters can provide enough time for that remains in question.
Former cricketer Mohammad Ashraful said, “If there is no rain, there will be a chance to play around 98 overs. We are definitely playing to win. I believe that with our bowling attack, especially our spin and pace unit, if we can bowl 70-75 overs tomorrow (Tuesday), we will have a chance to win.”
Explaining why Litton Das was not promoted earlier after Mominul’s dismissal, Ashraful said, “If the weather stays good, we will play Test cricket the way it should be played. I believe batting must be strong on this wicket. Even after scoring 400–500 in the first innings, poor batting in the third innings can lead to defeat. I think our batters are following that approach. Mushfiq also punished the loose balls. It seemed like a simple plan.”
Since the introduction of the World Test Championship, teams have increasingly taken risks to secure victories. Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha said that bigger rewards require bigger risks. “Since the start of the World Test Championship, Test cricket has changed significantly. Every team now plays to win every match. Even in Pakistan, we are preparing pitches that produce results.”
Agha made it clear that Pakistan would chase even a target of around 300 runs in 60 overs on the final day. “If you look 10 to 15 years back, pitches were very flat and most matches ended in draws. But now the situation is completely different. You rarely see draws anymore. Most matches produce results because teams are focusing on result-oriented pitches due to the World Test Championship points system.”
Whether Bangladesh truly plays for victory or looks to draw in Dhaka and take its chances in Sylhet will become clear with Tuesday morning’s batting approach. If Shanto and Mushfiqur bat aggressively at around five runs per over for 20 overs, it will signal intent to win. But if they approach the morning cautiously as they did in the final session of the fourth day, it will indicate Bangladesh is not taking the risk for victory, just as they did in Sri Lanka last year.
