Bangladesh clinched a convincing victory over Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, propelling them to a 1-0 lead. The dominant bowling performance on the final day catapulted Bangladesh from eighth to sixth place in the ICC World Test Championship standings. Here are the key highlights from the match:
** Bangladesh triumphed over Pakistan by 104 runs in the opening Test in Mirpur, securing their first win in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. With a record of one win, one loss, and a draw, Bangladesh advanced to the sixth position on the WTC points table, surpassing Pakistan (7th) and England (8th).
** This victory marked Bangladesh’s third consecutive Test win against Pakistan, following their historic 2-0 series triumph in Rawalpindi in 2024 – a significant milestone as it was their inaugural Test series win on Pakistani soil. Prior to this, Pakistan had dominated with 12 wins in the first 13 Tests between the two teams, with one match ending in a draw.
** The Test in Mirpur also witnessed Bangladesh’s first-ever Test victory at home against Pakistan. Previously, the Tigers had suffered defeats in seven out of eight home Tests against Pakistan, with a solitary draw occurring in Khulna back in 2015.
** Najmul Hossain Shanto celebrated his seventh Test win as captain in 17 matches, matching Mushfiqur Rahim’s record of seven victories in 34 games. Notably, no other Bangladeshi captain has achieved more Test wins.
** Nahid Rana claimed a five-wicket haul in Tests for the second time, making history as the first Bangladeshi fast bowler to achieve a five-for in the fourth innings of a Test match.
** On the Pakistani side, Abdullah Fazal joined the ranks of batters scoring fifties in both innings of their debut Test, becoming the sixth player to do so. Yasir Hameed remains the sole Pakistani player to achieve centuries in both innings on debut, a feat accomplished against Bangladesh in 2003.
