Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud shone brightly with the ball, claiming his first-ever five-wicket haul in Test cricket to dominate Pakistan on Day 4 of the second Test. Despite having only played 2 Tests prior to this game, Mahmud proved that he belonged on the international stage. Although he went wicketless in the first innings, the 24-year-old bounced back with a vengeance in the second innings, wreaking havoc on Pakistan's batting line-up and leaving them in disarray.
Mahmud opened the bowling attack alongside Taskin Ahmed and struck twice in the final minutes of Day 3 to get rid of Abdullah Shafique (3) and Khurram Shahzad (0). He continued to shine on Day 4 to claim three more wickets and completed his five-wicket haul.
Mahmud joined hands with 21-year-old Nahid Rana as the young duo, who had 9 wickets amongst them, to bowl out Pakistan half an hour before tea on Day 4 for an overall lead of 184.
The 24-year-old pacer claimed the crucial wicket of Mohammad Rizwan (43) which triggered a late Pakistan collapse.
Mahmud was on a hat trick when he had Rizwan caught behind after the break and followed it up with another brilliant ball that found the outside edge of Mohammad Ali’s bat. But Salman added a vital 36 runs in the company of tailenders before Mahmud completed a five-for by claiming the last wicket.
He made his T20I debut in 2020, but it took him four years to grab the selector's attention to get a chance in Test cricket with the Sri Lanka series earlier this year. He has already impressed Bangladesh's coaches with his ability to bowl fast.
Pakistan top-order struggle continuesMeanwhile, Pakistan's top-order long struggle in red-ball cricket has seen it lose five of the last nine test matches at home, with its last win coming against South Africa in December 2021. The other four test matches were drawn.
Star batter Babar Azam (11) once again failed to score big, as his failure to get past fifty stretched to 16 innings now. He fell to Rana for the second time in the series as the tall fast bowler rattled the top order by claiming three wickets in his first three overs.
Top-scorer Salman Ali Agha (47 not out) and Mohammad Rizwan (43) led the recovery with a half century partnership after Rana’s burst had reduced the home team to 81-6 in the first session, before Mahmud sliced through the lower order.
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