Pakistan completed the formality of their win in the morning session on Day 5 to take an unassailable lead in the two-match series against Bangladesh. Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique resumed from their overnight score of 109/0, and even though Bangladesh dismissed both, it proved to be mere consolation for the home side.
Abdullah Shafique improved on his first innings returns of 52 by making 73 in the second, while Abid Ali too carried forward his rollicking form. He missed making twin centuries by just nine runs as he was dismissed on 91, trapped leg before by Taijul Islam – who finishes the fixture with eight wickets.
The Pakistan openers were the bedrock of the team’s victory, having set the tone in the first innings with a 146-run stand. It blunted Bangladesh’s flying start to the fixture, as the hosts had posted 330 runs in the first innings. Though Bangladesh secured a first-innings lead, they were undone in the second dig by Shaheen Afridi’s exceptional bowling effort – 15-3-32-5.
That allowed Pakistan to bundle out Bangladesh for just 157, even as Liton Das fought on with a valiant 57. This meant Pakistan were left to chase 201. Abid and Shafique protected the side against a collapse late on Day 4 and went on to add another match-defining stand worth 151 runs.
Though they both fell, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam took the team over the line.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 330 & 157 (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33) lead Pakistan 286 & 109/0 (Abid Ali 56, Abdullah Shafique 53*) by 92 runs.
