Bangladesh Creates History with 2-0 Series Whitewash over Pakistan

It was a performance of great resilience and skill by Bangladesh as they created history to clean-sweep Pakistan 2-0 in the Test series, a first series win over the cricketing giants. The second Test in Rawalpindi saw Bangladesh chase down 185 runs on the final day to finish with 185/4.

Bangladesh were confident by the start of this day, needing 143 runs at 42/0. The in-form opening duo of Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan set it up nicely, with Zakir's promising knock of 40 getting cut short by Mir Hamza, who had his wicket with a well-directed delivery.

Consequently, the charge was taken by Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque, who stitched a vital partnership, which kept Bangladesh on course. While Shanto played aggressively, the presence of a steady Mominul saw them reduce the target to below 100 runs before Lunch. They stitched a solid 57-run stand, showing great patience and resolve as they negotiated the disciplined bowling attack of Pakistan.

When the second session got underway, the elements again began to threaten, but the players' attention never strayed. Shanto was dismissed for 38, making way for Mushfiqur Rahim, who wasted little time getting into his groove. A couple of near-misses-including two successful reviews from Pakistan-did little to faze Rahim as he led Bangladesh closer to victory.

The innings of Mominul ended when he misjudged a delivery from Abrar Ahmed for 34. The runs, though, kept flowing as Rahim, joined by the more experienced Shakib Al Hasan, batted sensibly. The win came when Shakib stroked a boundary, which saw the Bangladesh contingent erupt in joy.

The seeds for this historic victory were laid earlier in the game. On an otherwise washed-out first day, Bangladesh managed to bowl out Pakistan for 274 in their first innings, thanks to Mehidy Hasan Miraz's 5 wickets. A jittery start in their reply saw Litton Das' sensational 138 and a solid partnership with Mehidy (78) get Bangladesh back into the game from a dire 26/6 situation.

Pakistan could manage only 172 runs in the second innings as Hasan Mahmud's five-wicket haul ravaged their batting lineup. The victory was all-encompassing to mark Bangladesh's second overseas series win and seal their growth into a massive force in international cricket.

Brief Scores: Pakistan: 274 - Saim Ayub 58, Shan Masood 57; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-61, Taskin Ahmed 3-57 and 172 - Agha Salman 47*, Mohammad Rizwan 43; Hasan Mahmud 5-43, Nahid Rana 4-44 Bangladesh 262: Litton Das 138, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 78; Khurram Shahzad 6-90, Agha Salman 2-13 & 185/4: Zakir Hasan 40, Najmul Hossain Shanto 38; Agha Salman 1-17 by 6 wickets.