Bangladesh achieved a historic victory over Pakistan in the first Test of the series in Rawalpindi, winning by 10 wickets. This win marked Bangladesh’s first-ever Test triumph over Pakistan after 14 previous attempts, which resulted in 12 losses and one draw. With this victory, Bangladesh has now defeated every Test-playing nation except India and South Africa.
The win also boosted Bangladesh’s position in the ICC World Test Championship standings, as they moved up to sixth place, tied with Sri Lanka at a 40% point percentage. Pakistan, on the other hand, dropped to eighth place with a 30.56% point percentage.
Although the match began with delays due to a wet outfield, it turned into an exciting contest by the fifth day. Despite only 41 overs being played on the first day, Bangladesh started strongly by taking four key wickets. Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel led a comeback on Day 2, both scoring centuries. Rizwan’s determined unbeaten 171 was particularly notable, though it left him exhausted by the end of the day. Pakistan declared their innings at 448/6, aiming to push for a win. For Bangladesh, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 191, and Shadnam Ismail added 93, keeping Pakistan in the field for most of Day 4. Both players came close to reaching personal milestones but fell just short.
On Day 5, Pakistan, starting at 23/1, collapsed to 146 all out, with only Rizwan offering resistance with a half-century. Bangladesh’s spinners dominated, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking four wickets and Shakib Al Hasan three. Needing just 30 runs for victory, Bangladesh chased down the target in under seven overs without losing a wicket. Match summary:
