Bangladesh Tighten Grip on Sylhet Test, Pakistan Near Whitewash
Mushfiqur Rahim struck a brilliant century in the second innings of the Sylhet Test.
Bangladesh moved within touching distance of victory on the third day of the Sylhet Test, leaving Pakistan on the verge of a whitewash. After suffering a 104-run defeat in the Dhaka Test, Pakistan now face an even heavier loss in Sylhet. Team Tigers set the visitors a daunting 437-run target, powered by a century from Mushfiqur Rahim, the highest number of Test hundreds by any Bangladeshi batter.
Pakistan will have to create a world record to win the match. The highest successful run chase in Test history remains West Indies’ 418-run chase against Australia in 2003. To secure a draw, Pakistan must bat through the next two days. The visitors will likely be hoping for rain.
Bangladesh resumed the third day at 110 for 3 in 26.4 overs. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto departed after adding just five more runs, trapped lbw by Khurram Shehzad for 15 off 46 balls. Mushfiqur then built a brilliant 123-run fifth-wicket partnership with Litton Das off 188 balls.
After scoring a century in the first innings, Litton again looked set for three figures. Despite receiving a reprieve on 55, he fell for 69 after giving a catch off Hasan Ali.
Mushfiqur, however, made no mistake. Just as Litton had battled with the tailenders in the first innings, Mushfiqur had to shoulder the responsibility this time and completed another century. He reached his 14th Test hundred, the highest by a Bangladeshi batter, with a boundary off Abbas while batting alongside Taijul Islam. Mushfiqur surpassed Mominul Haque, who now has 13 Test centuries. Tamim Iqbal stands third with 10, followed by Najmul Hossain Shanto with nine and Litton Das with six.
During the innings, Mushfiqur also became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to cross 16,000 international runs across formats. Having represented Bangladesh for 21 years, he remains the country’s highest run-scorer in international cricket.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz again failed to convert his start and departed for 19. However, Taijul provided valuable support with 22 off 51 balls. The pair added 77 runs for the seventh wicket. Mushfiqur finally fell for 137 off 233 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six. Bangladesh were all out for 390, setting Pakistan a target of 437.
Pakistan began their second innings late in the day and failed to score in two overs before fading light forced an early close.
Pakistan’s highest successful chase in Test cricket remains the 377-run target they achieved against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2015. In Bangladesh, the highest successful chase belongs to West Indies, who chased down 395 runs in Chattogram in 2021.
