Bangladesh vs Pakistan 1st Test: What’s Going to Happen Next?

Bangladesh and Pakistan have long been experiencing tough times in cricket. After the last T20 World Cup, held in the USA and West Indies, cricket fans are desperately waiting to see some visible changes. This is also Bangladesh’s first international series after this year’s World Cup. Despite being part of the World Test Championship, this series is vital for both teams to return from the struggle and strengthen their cricketing journey.

Before the Match Starts: What Happened Apart from Cricket

Cricketers are the persons who entertain people and unite the nation for peace. But things always don’t go in their favor, especially when the political instability rules out the peace of mind. When Bangladesh was preparing for this series, the movement against the contemporary government of Bangladesh was running throughout the country.

The situation was so unstable that the cricketers couldn’t even practice at the stadium. After the fall of that government, through the mass movement of the students and the country’s citizens, the country still suffered from severe insecurity, and the Bangladesh team had to move to Pakistan earlier and run their campaign in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan, too, is facing a similar situation that started just before the match began. Several reports say that Pakistani students started movements against their current government, which soon shaped into a massive form. Several videos that became viral on social media show that the people of Pakistan are chanting about Bangladesh and expressing their confidence to step the government down like Bangladesh did!  Even the mobile network of Pakistan is now being disrupted, the same way it happened in Bangladesh during the movement days. Bangladeshi players couldn’t contact their relatives from Pakistan due to this situation.

The job of professional players is tough as they cannot get distracted by anything. Shakib Al Hasan, a former captain and one of the most prominent players in Bangladesh, was in the USA and joined Pakistan directly since he was also a parliament (MP) member of the previous government. A lawsuit has already been filed against him, and he will likely be arrested if he comes to Bangladesh. However, he is playing in the current test match, and the professionalism he always shows is being continued. 

What Happened So Far in This Test Match

The weather was not in support from the beginning, as there was heavy rain in Rawalpindi, and the toss was delayed. However, lately, the game went into action when Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision is correct since the pitch condition was unknown after the continued rain, and the tendency of batting collapse for Bangladesh is always a concern. 

Shariful Islam and Hasan Mahmud, two Bangladesh pacers, brought excellent starting for Bangladesh through early wickets. At one point, Pakistan lost three, including the valuable wicket of Babar Azam, within just 16 runs! But Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel saved Pakistan from a possible collapse and carried the innings very responsibly. Before losing his wicket to Shoriful Islam, he contributed 56 runs to the scoreboard. Liton Das, the wicketkeeper, took the challenging and important catch that helped to break the partnership.

Yet, Pakistan didn’t lose its temperament; instead, they went for another partnership, in which Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan played amazingly. After scoring 141 runs, Shakeel got out by Miraz, and Liton Das again showed his brilliance with a quick stamping.

Rizwan and Salman Agha continued but couldn’t carry for long. While Rizwan batted till the end without sacrificing his wicket, Shaheen Afridi, too, started hitting the ball from the beginning. On that point, Pakistan was looking for quick runs to declare their innings soon. When the score was 448 for 6, Pakistan declared their innings and invited Bangladesh to bat when a few hours were left on the second day.

Rizwan’s innings played the most critical role since he didn’t allow any chance while batting and ended his innings unbeaten with 171 runs! If Pakistan had carried the innings and declared it a bit later, he would have scored a double ton in these innings, which might have been frustrating for him.

However, Pakistan is desperately looking for a win; therefore, they didn’t want to waste time after making a significant score on the board. Sharfiul and Hasan took two wickets for Bangladesh, whereas Mehedy and Shakib took one wicket each.

Bangladesh Innings before the Close of the 2^nd Day Play

The Bangladeshi fans were worried since it was the last session of the day, which was the most critical for a team to start their innings. However, two young openers, Sadman and Zakir, showed a sense of responsibility and didn’t take any risks while batting. They ended the day with a score of 27 runs without losing any wickets, which was a relief for the team.

What to Expect in the Next Three Days

When Pakistan lost only six wickets and declared their innings, it’s also true that they could not score too many runs because of the delay on the first day. They lost early wickets because of the rain-affected pitch, too. But for Bangladesh, it’s an opportunity to keep the momentum and bat as long as possible. Bangladesh does not have the luxury of running fast from the beginning and putting a massive total on the board.

From the beginning of the third day, Bangladesh needs to keep their wickets and ensure playing the whole third day and at least half of the fourth day so that there can be a chance to win on the fifth day or save the match from a loss by carrying it till the end of the fifth day. The batting innings are crucial for Bangladesh since their record in the fourth innings is very poor, and they will likely need to come for batting again on the fifth day when the pitch condition will be the worst!

Final Words

Whatever happens, no cricket fan wants a lifeless draw but an exciting ending where even the “no result” will be a success for a team. When Pakistan is looking for nothing but a win, a draw can boost the morale of the Bangladeshi players. The “reformation” is now happening in every institution in Bangladesh, and the previous president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board has already resigned. A win or a draw can be the best possible start the Bangladesh team can offer to the new president to start a new era of Bangladesh cricket.