Pakistan suffer humiliating first-ever Test defeat in Bangladesh
Bangladesh created history in Dhaka on Tuesday, beating Pakistan at home for the first time with a 104-run win in the opening Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The victory was also Bangladesh's third straight Test win over Pakistan.
Pakistan’s struggles in Test cricket deepened on Tuesday as Shan Masood’s side slumped to a humiliating 104-run defeat against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, marking their first-ever Test loss in Bangladesh.
BAN vs PAK, 1st Test Day 5: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Fast bowler Nahid Rana starred with a career-best 5 for 40 as Bangladesh bowled Pakistan out for 163 while defending a target of 268 on the final day. The young pacer produced the defining spell of the match after tea, dismissing Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan and Noman Ali in a devastating three-over burst that broke Pakistan’s resistance.
Pakistan’s chase never truly settled after Taskin Ahmed struck early to remove Imam-ul-Haq for 2. Debutants Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal attempted to rebuild with a 54-run partnership, much like they had done in the first innings, before Mehidy Hasan broke through with an arm-ball that dismissed Awais for 15.
Nahid then removed captain Shan Masood to leave Pakistan struggling at 68 for 3. Fazal and Salman Agha steadied the innings with a valuable partnership, but Bangladesh regained control after tea. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam dismissed Fazal for 66 to end a 51-run stand before Taskin trapped Salman for 21 with a sharp back-of-a-length delivery.
Shakeel and Rizwan briefly revived Pakistan’s hopes, but Nahid returned to produce a fiery spell that swung the match decisively in Bangladesh’s favour. He later completed his second Test five-for by dismissing Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Earlier, Bangladesh declared their second innings at 240 for 9 after resuming Day 5 on 152 for 3 with an overall lead of 179 runs. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto led the charge with a fluent 87 as the hosts adopted an aggressive approach despite rain disrupting large portions of Days 3 and 4.
After Mushfiqur Rahim fell early to Hasan Ali, Shanto counterattacked confidently, striking seven boundaries before Noman Ali trapped him lbw. Mehidy Hasan added a brisk 24 to push the lead beyond 250, while Hasan Ali finished with figures of 3 for 52.
The foundation for Bangladesh’s victory was laid in the first innings when they posted 413 and secured a crucial 27-run lead after bowling Pakistan out for 386. Mehidy Hasan starred with the ball in that innings as well, claiming a five-wicket haul to keep Pakistan under pressure throughout the match.
Pakistan were still four wickets down at tea on the final day and appeared to be inching towards a draw before Nahid’s late burst changed the complexion of the contest entirely.
The win handed Bangladesh 12 valuable World Test Championship points and ensured they cannot lose the series. For Pakistan, another collapse under pressure added to a growing list of concerns in the longest format.
The second Test will be played in Sylhet starting Saturday.