At a glance
- Bangladesh look to register consecutive whitewashes over Pakistan as they face off in the second Test at Sylhet
- Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 104 runs in the first Test at Mirpur
- We look at the three best Test matches between Bangladesh and Pakistan
Having won the first Test of the series, Bangladesh will look to make it two consecutive whitewashes of Pakistan in the ongoing second Test. Bangladesh’s win in the first match was their first over Pakistan on home soil in the longest format.
Today, we now look back at the three best Test matches between the two Asian sides in no particular order.
Second Test, 2024 (Rawalpindi) – Bangladesh win by 6 wickets
Pakistan, having been put in to bat, put on 274 in the first innings. Saim Ayub, captain Shan Masood and Salman Ali Agha all scored half-centuries on day 2 after the first day was rained out. Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up five wickets.
The Pakistan pace attack responded beautifully. They ripped through the Bangladesh top and middle order, reducing the Tigers to 26-6. Litton Das and Miraz then put together an all-important 165-run partnership for the seventh wicket, scoring a century and a half-century respectively. Das stuck around to drag his team to 262, scoring an incredible 138. Pacer Khurram Shahzad was Pakistan’s star with six wickets to his name.
In their second dig, Pakistan were bowled out for just 172 as Bangladesh pacers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana came to the party, picking up nine wickets between them. Bangladesh chased down their 185-run target comfortably on Day 5, winning by six wickets to complete a historic 2-0 whitewash at the home of their Asian rivals. Litton Das was named Player of the Match for his gritty century in the first innings.
Third Test, 2003 (Multan) – Pakistan win by 1 wicket
Quite comfortably the most thrilling finish a Bangladesh vs Pakistan Test match has ever seen, Pakistan ran out winners by one wicket when the two teams faced off in Multan in September 2003.
Bangladesh posted a commendable 281 thanks in large part to a string of useful contributions from across the lineup. Habibul Bashar top scored with 72 runs to his name, whereas Umar Gul registered a four-fer, dismissing both Bangladesh openers in the process.
In response, Pakistan fell to 175 out with Bangladesh’s veteran duo of captain Khaled Mahmud and spinner Mohammad Rafique accounting for nine of the 10 wickets. Yasir Hameed top-scored with 39 before Rafique found a way through his defence.
Pakistan pacers Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed responded strongly, picking up four wickets apiece as Bangladesh crumbled to 154 all out. Matters could have been a lot worse if not for Rajin Saleh’s 42. Pakistan needed 261 runs to win with two and a half days to spare. The draw was almost out of the equation already,
Stunning chase by Pakistan
Disaster would soon strike for Pakistan. 20-year-old substitute Mashrafe Mortaza held on to three catches to reduce the hosts to 78-3. Younis Khan was then run out without facing a ball. Pakistan lost two more wickets before stumps to end Day 3 on 148/6. 114 to win. Four wickets in hand. A determined Inzamam-ul-Haq batting on 53.
Day 4 turned out to be as dramatic as it possibly could. Saqlain Mushtaq was dismissed six overs later. Inzamam and Shabbir Ahmed then put on 41 runs for the eighth wicket. When Shabbir was caught in front by Rafique, Umar Gul joined the former Pakistan skipper to add 52 runs for the ninth wicket.
Gul’s run out meant Pakistan needed four runs to win with one wicket in hand. But maybe most importantly, it was number 11 Yasir Ali on strike. Ali survived three balls before taking a single off the fifth ball of the over. Sensing that this might be his only opportunity, Inzamam flicked one off his hips for four to win it. He was named Player of the Match for his 138*, one of his best-ever Test innings, given the circumstances.
First Test, 2026 (Mirpur) – Bangladesh win by 104 runs
Bangladesh came into the first Test of the ongoing Pakistan series, never having beaten Pakistan in a home Test. A statistic that was about to change over the course of the next five days. And how!
A century from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and half centuries from Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim helped Bangladesh post an imposing 413 runs in the first innings. Mohammad Abbas marked his first Test in over a year with a five-wicket haul.
Pakistan got off to a great start thanks to debutants Azan Awais (103) and Abdullah Fazal (60) scoring a hundred and a fifty respectively. Further contributions down the order from Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan saw Pakistan put up 386, trailing their hosts by 37 runs.
Overs lost due to bad weather in patches on Day 3 and Day 4 meant that Bangladesh, on declaring at 240/9, had only a little more than two sessions to bowl Pakistan out. Shanto would top-score again with an impressive 87, Haque giving him ample support with another fifty to his name.
For a while, it did look like Pakistan may have a shot at chasing the 268-run target they had been set. However, Fazal’s wicket for 66 with Pakistan at 119-3 took some of that hope away. What happened next took the rest of it away.
Nahid Rana exhibited fast bowling of the highest order to blow Pakistan’s batting away. The hosts won by 104 runs. Their first against Pakistan on home soil.
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