An unbroken 109-run opening stand between Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique has put Pakistan in a commanding position. Pakistan now need just 93 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. Earlier in the day, Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed his fourth Test five-for to skittle out Bangladesh for 157.
Having already lost four wickets for 39, a lot hinged on Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das. Mushfiqur sent the first ball of the day to the deep mid-wicket boundary. But a ball later, he got bowled by Hasan Ali.
Liton Das joined Yasir Ali out in the middle, and the duo kept hitting regular boundaries. Yasir then copped a blow on the side of his helmet while trying to duck a bounder from Shaheen, and Nurul Hasan came on as his concussion substitute.
Bangladesh then lost two quick wickets. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was trapped leg-before by Sajid Khan, and Nurul ended up giving an easy catch to Faheem Ashraf at long-on.
Das reached his fifty but fell to Afridi soon afterwards, for 59. The last two batters could not open their accounts, and Bangladesh's innings came to an end on 157.
Other than Shaheen, Sajid Ali claimed two wickets, and Hasan Ali took two.
The Pakistan openers continued to impress. They were cautious in the beginning, when bowlers were probing in their line and length. But once the bowlers lost their incision, the openers went for their strokes. Abid is currently batting on 56, and Shafique on 53. It shouldn't take more than two sessions for Pakistan to wrap things up.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Pick both Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique in your side.
- Among bowlers, Taijul Islam is a decent option.