Mehidy bags 5-wicket haul but sloppy Bangladesh fielding allows Pakistan to score 274 in 2nd test

Rawalpindi: Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz grabbed 5-61 and helped Bangladesh bowl out Pakistan for 274 on Day 2 of the second and final test on Saturday.

Mehidy’s 10th five-wicket haul in test matches was well supported by Taskin Ahmed’s 3-57 in his comeback test match from a shoulder injury, but the tourists were sloppy in the field and dropped at least four catches which allowed Pakistan to recover.

Bangladesh reached a nervy 10-0 in the two overs before stumps and trails by 264 runs as Saud Shakeel couldn’t hold onto a regulation catch of Shadman Islam in the slips cordon off Mir Hamza’s first ball.

 “It’s great to be back in red-ball cricket after 1-1/2 years, I really enjoyed,” Ahmed said. “I struggled a bit as well, but it will be fine in the second innings.”

Bangladesh is chasing a rare away win in a bilateral test series and leads the two-match series 1-0 after it notched a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week.

Bangladesh had an injury scare when Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 191 in the first test, left the field in the second session as he dived to stop the ball in the outfield and injured his shoulder.

After the opening day’s play in the second test was washed out due to persistent rain, Bangladesh had Pakistan in early trouble when Ahmed exploited the early moisture on a green-top wicket and hit the top of Abdullah Shafique’s stumps in the first over off a delivery that swung back into the right-hander.

“That (wicket) was really enjoyable for me because I had set him up,” Ahmed said. “They have very good bowling side as well and my advice to our batters is make the new ball old and then you will benefit.’”

Captain Shan Masood made 57 off 69 balls and Saim Ayub scored 58, but both left-handers got dismissed by Mehidy in quick succession after lunch after sharing 107-run stand that saw Bangladesh picking up four wickets in the session.

Shakeel was undone by Ahmed’s short ball and chopped the ball back onto his stumps and Babar Azam’s barren run in test matches continued despite the former all-format captain spending nearly two hours at the wicket. Babar, who hasn’t scored a half century in his last 15 test innings, looked scratchy in his 31-run knock before he was trapped leg before wicket on the back foot by Shakib Al Hasan.

Mohammad Rizwan (29) looped an easy catch in the first slip to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto when he got deceived by an awkward bounce of tall fast bowler Nahid Rana as Pakistan slipped to 211-6. Spin all-rounder Salman Ali Agha frustrated Bangladesh by compiling 54 off 95 balls as he capitalized on a dropped catch before he had scored.

 “Unlike the first test, this wicket has a lively grass and I believe we have enough runs on board,” said Salman, who raised his half-century with a pulled six off Ahmed with the second new ball before he holed out at fine leg while going for a similar shot.

 “There’s a lot for fast bowlers on this surface and I think I have a role to play with Abrar as there’s some deviation for spinners too.”

Mehidy completed his five-wicket haul when he had No. 10 Abrar Ahmed stumped as the off-spinner shared the second new ball with Ahmed and wrapped up Pakistan’s innings.

Pakistan made two bowling changes and brought in specialist spinner Abrar in place of struggling Shaheen Shah Afridi. In a surprise move Pakistan rested new-ball bowler Naseem Shah and included left-arm fast bowler Hamza on another green-top wicket.

Bangladesh brought in Ahmed after Shoriful Islam was ruled out due to groin injury he sustained during the first test.

Both teams are languishing in the bottom half of World Test Championship standings with Bangladesh at No. 7 and Pakistan at No. 8, just ahead of last-place West Indies.