RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Bangladesh’s Nahid Rana rattled the top-order with his pace bowling Monday as Pakistan struggled to reach 117-6 at lunch on Day 4 of the second cricket test.
Rana, playing in only his third test match, could have ended the first session with four wickets but Mohammad Rizwan was dropped in the slips cordon.
Rizwan was unbeaten on 38 and Salman Ali Agha, the last recognized batter, was not out on 7 at the interval. Pakistan, trailing 1-0 in the series, has an overall lead of 129 runs on a wicket where Bangladesh’s bowlers have been disciplined.
Rana (3-22) picked up three wickets off his first three overs after Taskin provided the breakthrough when skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto dived low to his left and grabbed a two-handed catch to dismiss Saim Ayub for 20.
Skipper Shan Masood struck four boundaries in his 28 before Pakistan’s innings crashed against Rana’s pace.
Masood and Saud Shakeel got slight edges and Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam’s struggle in red-ball continued when he edged to Shadman Islam at slip. Shadman dropped a regulation chance next ball to give Rizwan a big reprieve.
Babar has been going through poor run of form and it’s now been eight test matches since he posted a half-century. His top score in that time was 41 against Australia at Melbourne last year.
Bangladesh is chasing a rare away win in a test series after notching a historic 10-wicket win in the first test at the same venue.
Both teams are near the bottom of the World Test Championship, with Bangladesh occupying seventh spot and Pakistan just ahead of last-placed West Indies.
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