Bangladesh stay on top despite late Shahzad strike

A late lapse in concentration on the final ball of the day cost Mominul Haque his wicket, but Bangladesh still finished Day 2 of the second Test in a strong position with a 156-run lead over Pakistan in Sylhet on Sunday.

The hosts reached 110-3 at stumps, building on their handy first-innings cushion despite a few nervy moments against the new ball.

The final over provided a frustrating twist for the home side. Khurram Shahzad found a breakthrough on the very last delivery, pitching a hard-length ball around the fifth-stump line.

Mominul, who had grinded out a steady 30, attempted a late guide down to deep third, which seemed to be unnecessary, only to nick it through to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

The late strike gave Pakistan a massive lift just as the umpires ended the day’s play, leaving skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto unbeaten on 13.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s second innings got off to a shaky start. Debutant Tanzid Hasan’s tough introduction to Test cricket continued as he fell for just 4 in the fourth over.

He was completely squared up by a sharp, incoming delivery from Shahzad, popping a simple leading edge to gully.

But, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who has been in a bad patch for a while now, stepped up to steady things, playing with plenty of confidence.

Joy struck 10 crisp boundaries to score a fluent 52 off 64 balls, registering his first Test half-century against a higher-ranked opponent in two and a half years.

He looked set for a big score before mistiming a flick across the line off Mohammad Abbas, which was brilliantly caught by a diving Abdullah Fazal at deep square leg.

The platform for Bangladesh’s day had been set by a clinical bowling performance.

Resuming on their overnight 21-0, Pakistan was bowled out for 232 on a surface offering sharp turn and variable bounce. Taskin Ahmed started the slide by removing both openers early, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed the prized scalps of Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam then tore through the middle order to finish with 3-67, ensuring Bangladesh secured a vital 46-run first-innings lead despite an aggressive, late 38-run cameo from Sajid Khan.

With a lead of 156 runs on a track that is already misbehaving, Bangladesh remains ahead in the contest.

However, Pakistan’s pace unit will look to exploit the morning conditions Monday to keep the target under 250, while the constant threat of rain adds plenty of tactical intrigue to the coming days.