Mehidy bags 5-wicket haul against Pakistan in 2nd Test

RAWALPINDI: Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz grabbed 5-61 and helped Bangladesh bowl out Pakistan for 274 on Day 2 of the second and final Test on Saturday.

Mehidy’s 10th five-wicket haul in Test matches was well supported by Taskin Ahmed’s 3-57 in his comeback match from a shoulder injury, but the tourist was sloppy in the field and dropped at least four catches which allowed Pakistan to recover.

Bangladesh reached a nervy 10-0 in the two overs before stumps and trails by 264 runs as Saud Shakeel couldn’t hold onto a regulation catch of Shadman Islam in the slips cordon off Mir Hamza’s first ball.

“It’s great to be back in red-ball cricket after 1-1/2 years, I really enjoyed,” Ahmed said. “I struggled a bit as well, but it will be fine in the second innings.”

Bangladesh is chasing a rare away win in a bilateral Test series and leads the two-match series 1-0 after it notched a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week.

Bangladesh had an injury scare when Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 191 in the first Test, left the field in the second session as he dived to stop the ball in the outfield and injured his shoulder.

After the opening day’s play in the second Test was washed out due to persistent rain, Bangladesh had Pakistan in early trouble when Ahmed exploited the early moisture on a green-top wicket and hit the top of Abdullah Shafique’s stumps in the first over off a delivery that swung back into the right-hander.

“That (wicket) was really enjoyable for me because I had set him up,” Ahmed said. “They have very good bowling side as well and my advice to our batters is make the new ball old and then you will benefit.”

Captain Shan Masood made 57 off 69 balls and Saim Ayub scored 58, but both left-handers got dismissed by Mehidy in quick succession after lunch after sharing 107-run stand that saw Bangladesh picking up four wickets in the session.

Shakeel was undone by Ahmed’s short ball and chopped the ball back onto his stumps and Babar Azam’s barren run in Test matches continued despite the former all-format captain spending nearly two hours at the wicket. Babar, who hasn’t scored a half century in his last 15 Test innings, looked scratchy in his 31-run knock before he was trapped leg before wicket on the back foot by Shakib Al Hasan.

Brief scores: Pakistan (1st innings) 274 in 85.1 overs (S Ayub 58, S Masood 57, S Agha 54, MH Miraz 5/61, T Ahmed 3/57) vs Bangladesh 10 for no loss in 2 overs