Bangladesh’s national cricket team has overcome political unrest in their home country, achieving a historic 10-wicket victory over Pakistan during a dramatic final day of the first Test match in Rawalpindi. Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, who has previously served as a legislator for the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, shared seven wickets as Bangladesh celebrated their first victory in 14 Test matches against Pakistan.
Team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto dedicated the victory to those who lost their lives during recent political protests against Hasina’s government. “We honor the individuals who have recently passed away in our nation during the protests and pray for their souls,” Shanto stated after the match. “It is a wonderful feeling and truly a special moment for us,” he added.
Since the beginning of a police crackdown on student protests against Hasina in July, over 450 people have lost their lives in Bangladesh, culminating in Hasina’s ousting on August 5. “Over the last month, we have faced difficult political situations, but this victory will bring a little smile,” the 26-year-old Shanto remarked.
Bangladesh’s opening batsmen, Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam, remained unbeaten at 15 and 9 runs, respectively, as the guests concluded the match at 30-0 by tea, marking their seventh Test victory away from home. Pakistan, who had a first-innings lead of 117 runs despite declaring at 448-6, was bowled out by a disciplined assault from both pace and spin bowlers, beginning their final innings at 23-1 and still needing 94 runs to avoid defeat. Mohammad Rizwan, who had previously scored an impressive 171 not out, managed to score 51 runs, but most of his teammates made errors due to rash shots.
Mehidy secured 4 wickets for 21 runs, while Shakib achieved 3 for 44. The three pace bowlers – Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, and Nahid Rana – each took one wicket. “It is really nice to see how everyone showed character in such hot conditions,” Shanto praised his batters for scoring 565 runs in the first innings. “We knew that if we bowled in the right areas, we could win this match.”
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was named Player of the Match for his innings of 191 runs in Bangladesh’s first innings. Upon receiving the award, Rahim described the innings as one of his “finest performances” and announced that he would donate his prize money to those affected by the recent floods in Bangladesh.
In a dramatic first session, Bangladesh put the victory into perspective as Pakistan stumbled to 108-6, losing five wickets. Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood was dismissed in the second over of the day when Hasan caught a faint edge. Masood apologized to the entire nation and expressed hope for better performances in the upcoming matches.
The second Test will also take place in Rawalpindi starting next Friday, after being moved from Karachi due to ongoing construction work at the National Bank Stadium.