Sunday 15 / September / 2024
Rawalpindi: Bangladesh wicket-keeper batter Litton Das stepped up for his team when they were dwindling at 26/6 in the second Test against Pakistan. He scored 138 off 228 deliveries which included 13 boundaries and 4 maximums. He rescued the team with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78) to a respectable score of 262.
His match winning performance earned him the player of the match.
After the match, jubilant Litton said, "Just believed in myself, Pakistan bowled well in that spell but me and Hasan Miraz wanted to just bat long. He hit a four and a six and then the momentum shifted."
The two forged a partnership with him of 175 runs
"When Hasan came, I didn't have many scoring opportunities, so I took time and wanted to play as many overs as possible. Credit to Hasan as well for batting really well. I like keeping in Tests, that is my role and when I do well behind the wicket, the team does well too," he said.
"When we came here, things back home weren't up to the mark, but we came here and practiced hard. It is all about team effort, credit to all and the coaching staff. Not easy playing in this kind of heat," he said.
Bangladesh delivered a thoroughly dominant performance over two weeks, sweeping the Test series against Pakistan 2-0, despite a rain-affected start to the second Test.
The 10-wicket victory in the first match marked Bangladesh's maiden Test win over Pakistan. A repeat of this performance in the second Test solidified a historic achievement for the team.
This series victory is also Bangladesh's first Test series win (of two matches or more) against a team other than Zimbabwe and the West Indies, according to the ICC.
The win has boosted Bangladesh in the ICC World Test Championship standings, propelling them to No. 4 with a points percentage of 45.83, leapfrogging England.
Beginning the fifth day on 42/0, needing 143 more runs to win, Bangladesh got off to a steady start, inching towards the modest target without taking too many risks. They added another 80 runs in the morning session but lost both openers within the space of 12 runs.
Despite the wickets, the experienced duo of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque put together a 57-run stand to keep the visitors on track. Shanto was dismissed soon after lunch for 38, and Mominul perished for 34, causing Bangladesh to stutter slightly towards the end.
However, the veteran pair of Mushfiqur Rahim (22*) and Shakib Al Hasan (21*) persisted and guided Bangladesh over the line without further hiccups.
Earlier in the Test, after opting to field first, Bangladesh produced another fantastic performance, bowling Pakistan out for a modest 274 runs. Despite half-centuries from captain Shan Masood and opener Saim Ayub, Mehidy Hasan Miraz's five-wicket haul, combined with three wickets from Taskin Ahmed, ensured that Pakistan's first innings total remained within reach.
Pakistan responded brilliantly with the ball, with Khurram Shahzad leading the fightback with a six-wicket haul that gave the home team a slim lead of 12 runs.
However, Bangladesh's bowlers were not done. Two more heroes stepped up for the visitors--24-year-old Hasan Mahmud and 21-year-old Nahid Rana--who took a combined nine wickets between them as Pakistan collapsed for just 172 runs in the second innings, setting Bangladesh a target of 185 with four sessions left in the game.
Poor weather and bad light stopped play early on Day 4 but only delayed the inevitable as the visitors wrapped up the Test with six wickets to spare.
