On the third day of this first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Khurram Shahzad was that man as his two vital deliveries left the visitors in a struggling position. The similar lengths with the same precise line did its work first by shattering the off-stump of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and later demolishing Mominul Haque’s stumps.
Pakistan had declared their first innings at a commanding 448 runs, putting Bangladesh under pressure. The visitors were initially fighting back through Shanto and Haque. But Khurram Shahzad had other ideas. In the 27th over of the Bangladesh innings, Shanto, unbeaten on 16, was looking to make the most of the good start the openers had given.
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But Khurram Shahzad’s angling delivery deceived him. The ball slipped through the gap between his bat and pad, uprooting his off-stump and leaving Bangladesh reeling. Mominul Haque was in fine form on the other side, having just reached his half-century. He had added a crucial 94 runs with Mushfiqur Rahim, giving Bangladesh a chance to cut down the deficit.
Khurram hits the timber πππππ! β‘
Which dismissal did you enjoy moreβ#PAKvBAN | #TestOnHai pic.twitter.com/syzfNJo7y6
β Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 23, 2024
Then Shahzad struck again, in the 52nd over, with a delivery nothing short of spectacular. From round the wicket, he slanted this full, and it swung sharply back into the left-handed Mominul. He could not expect such late movement, and, literally before he knew it, the ball had zipped through the narrow gap between bat and pad and crashed into the stumps.
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Bangladesh was 269/5 at the end of the day, hence trailing by 220 runs. Rahim on 42 off 94 and Litton Das on 27 off 37 were their last hopes in the crease in the quest to move closer to the first-innings total posted by Pakistan. With these two veteran batters leading from the front, Bangladesh will look for that very important partnership on day 4 to stay in the game.
