Bangladesh completed a dominant 2-0 Test series sweep against Pakistan after securing a 78-run victory in the second match at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam played a decisive role in the win, claiming six wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for 358 while chasing a target of 437. His figures of 6-120 from 34.2 overs ensured Bangladesh wrapped up the contest and sealed back-to-back series whitewashes over Pakistan.
Pakistan resumed their chase at 316 for 7 on the fourth day and added 42 more runs on the final morning before losing their remaining wickets. Bangladesh’s bowlers capitalised on the conditions to close out the match and series.
“Our bowlers did a great job in hot conditions, on a flat wicket,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.
“In the batting sometimes (in the past) we lost too many wickets, but nowadays we have brilliant partnerships.
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“Our tailenders also contribute a lot. Those are the things we wanted to improve and I hope we continue.”
Bangladesh had earlier won the first Test by 104 runs, completing their second consecutive 2-0 series victory over Pakistan, following a similar result in 2024.
Mohammad Rizwan’s resistance was the highlight of Pakistan’s chase, as he battled for 166 deliveries to score 94. He struck consecutive boundaries off Nahid Rana early in the day to signal Pakistan’s intent, while Sajid Khan also contributed with aggressive strokeplay.
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However, the turning point came when Taijul dismissed Sajid for 28, breaking a 54-run partnership and registering his 18th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. In the following over, Rizwan edged a delivery from Shoriful Islam to gully, effectively ending Pakistan’s hopes.
Taijul then wrapped up the innings by removing Khurram Shahzad for a duck, sealing the victory for Bangladesh.
“When you make 360 runs in the fourth innings of the game you kind a expect to be on the right side of it, but I think in the three innings we had quite a lot to reflect on,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said.
“There were things we didn’t do well enough in the first three innings and that’s why the effort on the fourth and fifth days didn’t really materialise into a win.”
