An all-round bowling performance and a fairly decent partnership between Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque put Bangladesh in an excellent position in the second Test. After Pakistan were bowled out for 232, Bangladesh were reduced to 110 for 3 in their second innings, going into Stumps on Day 2 with a lead of 156 runs.
Pakistan fast bowler Khurram Shahzad said on Saturday that they are eyeing a first-innings total of 400 to 450 in Sylhet, adding that the pitch is far more batting-friendly than the one used in Dhaka.
In the first dig, Bangladesh were down in the dumps at 116 for 6 before Litton Das led the recovery, and Khurram admitted dropped chances proved costly.
“They were 6 down for 116, as you said. Litton, as I said before, played very luckily today. Not one, but two chances were created. So, if those had been taken, this is all ifs and buts, the result could have been totally different,” he said.
“Maybe they would have been bowled out under 200. We cannot change past decisions now. But we have to look ahead. Insha’Allah, now it is our batting turn, so we will focus on making a big total. We must ensure we do not repeat these mistakes in the second innings and get them out,” he added.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 278 & 110/3 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 52, Mominul Haque 30; Khurram Shahzad 2-19) lead Pakistan 232 (Babar Azam 68; Nahid Rana 3-60, Taijul Islam 3-67) by 156 runs.
