Taijuls Spin Breaks Pakistans Resistance, Bangladesh Three Wickets Away from Victory

Time seemed to bat for Pakistan today. Slow walks back to the crease, frequent injury interruptions, and repeated delays dragged the Sylhet Test into a fifth day. Yet amid all the drama, Bangladesh stand on the brink of victory. At the end of Day 4, Pakistan were 316 for 7, still needing 121 runs to win, while Bangladesh require just three more wickets.

Bangladesh struck early on Tuesday through Nahid Rana. In the 11th over of Pakistan’s innings, Abdullah Fazal failed to handle the young pacer’s pace and edged one to gully, where Mehidy Hasan Miraz completed an excellent catch. Soon after, Miraz himself joined the wicket column, trapping Azan Awais lbw for 21. Even a review could not save the Pakistani batter.

After losing two quick wickets, Shan Masood and Babar Azam steadied the innings with a solid partnership. The duo added 92 runs and slowly began shifting the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. However, Taijul Islam broke the threatening stand when Babar, on 47, edged a turning delivery to Litton Das behind the stumps. Babar’s unusually slow walk back to the pavilion after his dismissal also became a talking point.

Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha then built a crucial sixth-wicket partnership worth 134 runs from 224 deliveries. At one stage, the stand pushed Bangladesh onto the back foot. Rizwan, in particular, repeatedly attempted to slow the game down with deliberate time-wasting tactics and patient batting.

Bangladesh finally found relief through Taijul once again. The left-arm spinner bowled Salman Agha for 71 to provide a much-needed breakthrough. He then dismissed Hasan Ali for a duck shortly after.

At stumps, Rizwan remained unbeaten on 75 from 134 balls, with Sajid Khan accompanying him on 8. Taijul was Bangladesh’s standout bowler, claiming 4 wickets for 113 runs in 31 overs. Nahid Rana picked up two wickets, while Miraz took one.