Taijul delivered another match-defining spell, claiming four crucial wickets to put Bangladesh firmly in control heading into the final day. His most important breakthrough came when he dismissed Salman Agha, who had built a resilient 134-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan for the sixth wicket. The stand briefly revived Pakistan’s hopes after the visitors had slipped to 162/6 earlier in the innings.
Rizwan remained unbeaten on 75 at stumps and now carries Pakistan’s last realistic chance of pulling off a historic chase. Sajid Khan was unbeaten on 8 alongside him. However, the task ahead remains enormous, especially considering no team in Test cricket history has successfully chased more than 418 runs to win a match.
Bangladesh’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure throughout the day. Fast bowler Nahid Rana impressed with his pace and aggression, taking 2/58 and consistently troubling Pakistan’s batters with sharp short-pitched deliveries. He removed Abdullah Fazal early before Mehidy Hasan trapped Azan Awais lbw to strengthen Bangladesh’s grip on the contest.
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood fought hard with a composed 71, while Babar Azam contributed 47 in a valuable 91-run partnership. But Bangladesh struck at key moments, with Taijul dismissing both Babar and Masood to derail Pakistan’s resistance.
Earlier in the match, Bangladesh recovered from 278 in the first innings thanks to Litton Das’ brilliant 126 before bowling Pakistan out for 232. Mushfiqur Rahim then anchored the hosts’ second innings with a superb 137, helping set the massive fourth-innings target.
Having already won the first Test by 104 runs, Bangladesh now stand just three wickets away from securing a second consecutive Test series sweep over Pakistan.to avoid a series defeat.
