Bangladesh Growl Against Pakistan

Shakib Al Hasan made 108x

Before 1971, Bangladesh was East Pakistan - a disputed and unhappy annex of Pakistan to the east of India, joining Bengali territory. Then a bitter battle which created massive numbers of starving refugees, a UN resolution and two concerts in early August at Maddison Square Garden changed all that.

Much later on, Bangladesh started playing Test cricket. As one might expect, matches against Pakistan have always been philosophically and historically the hardest. In seven Tests since the first played thirty yeas after their separation, Pakistan have always won and usually handsomely. Just last week, they flogged Bangladesh by an innings and 184 runs. Such has been the Pakistani dominance that only once - before yesterday - had a Bangladeshi batsman taken a hundred from the Pakistani bowlers.

The day started and finished in gloom. An hour was lost at either end of the day, with fog being the major cause in the morning. By lunch, it was business as usual for both sides, with Bangladesh reduced to 4-54 and on track for another low first innings score. So many of their Test matches have been decided by tea on the first day after the batting has collapsed. Misbah against sent them in after winning the toss and result were immediate. Nazimuddin (shouldering arms to an off cutter and being plumb), Mahmudullah (bowled through the gate by another off cutter) and Nasir Hossain (nibbling outside off stump) all fell to Aizaz Cheema inside the first fifteen overs and Umar Gul claimed Tamim Iqbal with a bouncer which hit straight to fine leg.

After lunch, the Bengal Tiger roared and the rest of the day belonged to the fifth wicket pair of left handers, Shahriar Nafees and Shakib Al Hasan.

Nafees was unlucky to miss a hundred

In previous times, the lunch time reverse of fortunes may have had one detecting rodents in the air but the steadfast leadership of Misbah and the inclusion of anti-corruption strongman man Younis Khan makes it easier to accept this was one of crickets glorious moments when the underdog bites back. It is one of the greatest of those recent scumbags crimes against our game that we even stop to consider foul play.

Batting with suspicion at a time when their side was already down for a compulsory eight count, both batsmen played with a positivism which surprised the seamers. Their four hour, 180 run partnership netted a Bangladeshi partnership record and was only broken four overs from the bad light end when Nafees tried to avoid a short ball from Gul and it brushed his glove on the way to keeper Adnal Akmal. It seemed an unfair reward for such good batting that he was caught three short of his hundred. Al Hasan went on to only his second career hundred in 26 Tests but it continues the good form he had shown against the West Indies.

Unlike the first Test, the Pakistani spin bowlers had little impact.