SYLHET: Bangladesh tightened their grip on the second Test against Pakistan with another disciplined all-round display on Sunday, moving into a commanding position by stumps on the second day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Already buoyed by their historic win in the opening Test, Bangladesh ended the day on 110-3 in their second innings, extending their overall lead to 156 runs with seven wickets still intact and three full days remaining in the match.

The hosts first dismissed Pakistan for 232 in reply to their first-innings 278, securing a useful lead of 46, before opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy erased the disappointment of a first-innings duck with an assured half-century that pushed Pakistan further onto the back foot.

The pattern of the series has increasingly become difficult for Pakistan to ignore. Bangladesh’s bowlers have repeatedly exposed the visitors’ inability to build substantial partnerships, while their batters have shown greater clarity and composure in pressure situations.

Pakistan resumed the morning hoping their overnight pair could settle the innings, but Taskin Ahmed struck quickly after switching ends to dismantle the top order. Abdullah Fazal edged behind after a tentative poke outside off stump, while Azan Awais was undone by a delivery that jagged back sharply and ballooned off the pad to short leg.

The early damage allowed Bangladesh’s spinners to attack with confidence. Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed skipper Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel in a probing spell before lunch, reducing Pakistan to 94-4 and once again exposing the fragility that has plagued their batting overseas in recent years.

Shan’s dismissal particularly hurt Pakistan. Attempting to drive on the up, he chipped a catch to cover after a promising start, while Saud’s difficult tour continued when a miscued sweep was safely gathered behind the wicket.

Babar Azam, returning after injury, briefly threatened to stabilise the innings with a polished 68. The former captain looked assured against both pace and spin, driving elegantly through the covers and square of the wicket as he added 63 runs with Salman Ali Agha for the fifth wicket.

But just when Pakistan appeared ready to wrest back some control, Bangladesh struck twice in quick succession.

Nahid Rana, whose express pace has emerged as one of the defining themes of the series, removed Babar with a delivery that forced a hesitant push and produced a catch at mid-on. Taijul Islam then dismissed Salman soon after, swinging the momentum decisively back in Bangladesh’s favour.

Pakistan never truly recovered.

Taijul bowled Mohammad Rizwan through a ricochet off bat and pad before Hasan Ali holed out tamely, while Nahid returned to clean up the tail with another hostile spell. Sajid Khan’s counter-attacking 38 off 28 balls, featuring four sixes, briefly narrowed the deficit, but Pakistan still conceded a first-innings lead that could yet prove decisive on a surface beginning to offer variable bounce and increasing assistance for spin.

Speaking after the day’s play, Babar conceded Pakistan’s inability to produce meaningful partnerships had cost them dearly.

“The turning point was my wicket and Salman Ali Agha’s wicket,” Babar said. “After that we did not build any partnerships and those dismissals changed the momentum.”

The right-hander insisted the pitch remained good for batting but admitted Pakistan had suffered from “soft dismissals” at crucial moments.

Bangladesh’s confidence was evident immediately in their second innings.

Although Khurram Shahzad removed Tanzid Hasan cheaply, Mahmudul responded positively under pressure after a lean run in the series. The right-hander played fluently square of the wicket and drove confidently through the covers, bringing up his sixth Test fifty from just 58 deliveries.

His innings not only extended Bangladesh’s advantage but also highlighted the growing contrast between the two batting line-ups. While Pakistan’s batters repeatedly squandered starts, Bangladesh’s players have consistently found contributions from different parts of the order.

Mahmudul eventually fell for 52 when Mohammad Abbas induced a catch at deep square leg, but by then Bangladesh had already stretched their lead beyond 140.

Mominul Haque added another composed 30 before falling in the final over of the day to Khurram, while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 13 at stumps.

With Litton Das having already rescued Bangladesh from collapse with a magnificent 126 in the first innings, the hosts now appear firmly in control of both the match and the series.

The emergence of Nahid has further strengthened Bangla­desh’s growing belief. The 23-year-old quick again combined raw pace with greater control, dismissing Babar for the third time in as many Tests and troubling Pakistan’s middle order with sustained hostility.

Nahid, however, played down the growing hype surrounding him after the day’s play.

“I am not looking at expectations because they create extra pressure,” he said. “I am trying to execute what my team wants from me and follow the plans my captain gives me.”Bangladesh will now look to bat Pakistan out of the contest on Monday. Nahid made it clear the hosts are not thinking in terms of a fixed target, but rather occupying the crease for as long as possible.

“There is no specific target like 200 or 250,” he said. “We still have a lot of time left in the match and we will try to bat the full day tomorrow.”

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH (1st Innings) 278 (Litton Das 126; Khurram Shahzad 4-81)

PAKISTAN (1st Innings, overnight 21-0):

Azan Awais c Mominul b Taskin 13

Abdullah Fazal c Litton b Taskin 9

Shan Masood c sub b Mehidy 21

Babar Azam c Mushfiqur b Nahid 68

Saud Shakeel c Litton b Mehidy 8

Salman Ali Agha c Mominul b Taijul 21

Mohammad Rizwan b Taijul 13

Hasan Ali c Nahid b Taijul 18

Sajid Khan c Tanzid b Nahid 38

Khurram Shahzad c Mahmudul b Nahid 10

Mohammad Abbas not out 0

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-4, NB-4, W-1) 13

TOTAL (all out, 57.4 overs) 232

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-22 (Abdullah), 2-23 (Azan), 3-61 (Shan), 4-79 (Saud), 5-142 (Babar), 6-150 (Salman), 7-174 (Rizwan), 8-184 (Hasan), 9-207 (Khurram)

BOWLING: Taskin 11-1-37-2 (4nb), Shoriful 11-3-39-0 (1w), Mehidy 9-3-21-2, Nahid 12.4-1-60-3, Taijul 14-4-67-3

BANGLADESH (2nd Innings):

Mahmudul Hasan c Abdullah b Abbas 52

Tanzid Hasan c Saud b Khurram 4

Mominul Haque c Rizwan b Shahzad 30

Najmul Hossain not out 13

EXTRAS (LB-8, NB-3) 11

TOTAL (for three wickets, 26.4 overs) 110

STILL TO BAT: Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-15 (Tanzid), 2-91 (Mahmudul), 3-110 (Mominul)

BOWLING: Abbas 8-0-29-1, Khurram 5.4-2-19-2 (3nb), Hasan 5-1-18-0, Sajid 8-1-36-0

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026