Another Banglawash: Pakistan sink to new low despite Rizwan fight in Sylhet Test
Brief Score: Bangladesh (278, 390) beat Pakistan (232 and 358-all out) by 78 runs on Day 5 in Sylhet. 2nd Test Scorecard | Highlights
History has a cruel habit of repeating itself, but for Pakistan cricket, it has begun to feel like an endless loop of humiliation. Two years after being subjected to an unprecedented home whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh, the humiliation was complete on foreign soil. On a humid Wednesday morning at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, the final wickets crumbled to seal a comprehensive 78-run victory for the hosts, confirming another historic “Banglawash” with a 2-0 series sweep.
Chasing a mammoth, record-breaking target of 437, Pakistan’s fourth-innings resistance ended at 358. On paper, scoring over 350 in the final innings of a subcontinental Test is a commendable feat-a point captain Shan Masood futilely clung to in the post-match ceremony. But in reality, it was a veneer of respectability masking a familiar, structural collapse. The final morning began with an agonising, rain-delayed wait, but once the wet patches dried and play commenced, Bangladesh required less than an hour to dismantle the remaining resistance.
All Pakistani hopes rested squarely on the shoulders of Mohammad Rizwan. Resuming on his overnight score of 75 with Pakistan at 316 for seven, the wicketkeeper-batter played with the grit of a man fully aware that he was standing on a burning deck. He navigated a probing, hostile short-ball spell from Taskin Ahmed early on, surviving an awkward inside edge that narrowly missed his stumps.
Rizwan and Sajid Khan began to score freely, adding 46 runs to the overnight score and bringing the equation down to less than 100 runs. However, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam got the breakthrough, removing Sajid in the 96th over and completing a five-wicket haul.
The definitive, heartbreaking moment for the visitors came when Rizwan, orchestrating a lonely crusade after Sajid’s exit, fell just six runs short of a well-deserved century. He poked at a delivery angled across him by Shoriful Islam and was caught at slip cordon.
His dismissal for 94 broke the back of Pakistan’s faint survival hopes. Taijul finished with a sensational six-wicket haul, running through the tail to trigger ecstatic celebrations across the Sylhet outfield.
‘A LOT OF MISTAKES’
Looking back, the autopsy of Pakistan’s defeat points directly to the first two days of the Test. After Shan Masood won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch expected to assist seamers, the bowlers had Bangladesh reeling at 118 for six. It was a position from which a top-tier Test side routinely slams the door shut. Instead, they allowed Litton Das to script a modern epic. Litton’s counter-attacking 126 rescued the hosts, dragging them to a highly competitive first-innings total of 278.
Pakistan’s subsequent first-innings reply of 232 was an exercise in batting frailty. Apart from a technically assured 68 from a returning Babar Azam and a late, entertaining cameo of 38 from Sajid Khan, the middle-order was thoroughly suffocated by Nahid Rana and Taijul Islam.
Conceding a crucial 46-run lead meant Pakistan were always chasing the game.Bangladesh capitalised ruthlessly in their second dig, racking up a massive 390. The foundation was laid by opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s aggressive, tone-setting 52, before the evergreen Mushfiqur Rahim compiled a masterful 137.
Mushfiqur’s century, which earned him the Player of the Series award, systematically batted Pakistan out of the contest, pushing the required target into the realm of the impossible.
Despite fighting half-centuries from Masood (71), Salman Ali Agha (71), and Rizwan’s valiant 94 in the final innings, the mountain proved far too steep to climb.
“A lot of mistakes,” a dejected Shan Masood admitted after the match.
“When you make 360 runs in the fourth innings of a game, you kind of expect to be on the right side of it. But especially when they were 116 for 6 in the first innings, the last four wickets ended up scoring a lot of runs.”
For Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh, this 2-0 triumph represents a watershed moment-their first-ever Test series victory over Pakistan on home soil, helping them move into the fifth spot in the ICC World Test Championship cycle.
For Pakistan, however, the post-match autopsy will be severe. Losing a Test after putting up 358 in the fourth innings is rare, but losing back-to-back series to the same opponent inside two years points to a deeper, systemic rot that a fighting Rizwan knock could only temporarily hide.
Pakistan are rooted to the eighth spot in the ongoing WTC cycle, with just one win from four Test matches so far. Shan Masood’s men will next play a two-Test series in West Indies in July-August before heading to England for a three-match series.
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