New Delhi: Bangladesh completed a historic series sweep over Pakistan, defeating the hosts by six wickets in the second and final Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Pakistan held their hopes in the rain gods as rain threat loomed large, bringing in the possibility of a washout and saving Pakistan from another humiliation, but as fate had it, Bangladesh scripted history with their first-ever Test series win against Pakistan.
Bangladesh needed 143 runs on the final day with 10 wickets in hand as they knocked Pakistan off at the cost of four wickets when Shakib Al Hasan hit the winning boundary. The visitors’ second innings finished on 185-4, as Shakib remained 21 not out and Mushfiqur Rahim unbeaten on 22. This is Bangladesh’s only second bilateral series win of two or more Tests away from home, the last being against the West Indies in 2009.
The two-Test series took off with Bangladesh clinching a historic win, completely outclassing the hosts by 10 wickets in what was an all-round performance and dominance. Pakistan, who were confident of their all-out pace attack, taking in no special spinner, were given a taste of their own medicine when the Bangla spinners showed them what the pitch is actually capable of.
Nonetheless, with the historic win, Bangladesh have jumped to the fourth spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 table with a PCT of 45.83, winning three out of the six Tests played till date. Meanwhile, Pakistan have slumped to the eighth spot with a 19.05 PCT, having won just two out of the seven Tests played so far.
World Test Championship (2023-2025) – Points Table
Position
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Drawn
NR
Points
PCT
1
India
9
6
2
1
0
74
68.52
2
Australia
12
8
3
1
0
90
62.5
3
New Zealand
6
3
3
0
0
36
50
4
Bangladesh
6
3
3
0
0
33
45.83
5
England
15
8
6
1
0
81
45
6
South Africa
6
2
3
1
0
28
38.89
7
Sri Lanka
6
2
4
0
0
24
33.33
8
Pakistan
7
2
5
0
0
16
19.05
9
West Indies
9
1
6
2
0
20
18.52
Litton and Miraz’s rescue acts
Accepting that they read the pitch wrong, Pakistan took the field in the second Test with hopes of equalising the 1-0 lead. The first day was washed out due to persistent rain and on the back of three fifties, from Saim Ayub, skipper Shan Masood, and Agha Salman, Pakistan posted 274/10 in 85.1 overs as their first innings score. Bangladesh in response slumped to 26/6 as Khurram Shahzad wreaked havoc on the top order.
The Test took a twist as Bangladesh found their heroes in Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz who combined for 165 runs with Litton hitting a sensation 138 and Mehidy making a crucial contribution of 78 runs to pull Bangladesh out of grave danger. Bangladesh put up 262 in the first innings and Pakistan could manage a meagre 172 in their second essay.
Bangladesh, who were threatened by rain, easily walked past the hosts in what will be a series win to remember eternally. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was adjudged the Player of the Series for his all-round heroics while Litton Das bagged the Player of the Match award.
Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the second Test and completed a historic sweep 2-0 in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Here’s how the current World Test Championship (WTC) standings look like. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
