Najmul Hossain Shanto stood firm through the rain and the pressure on Monday, finishing unbeaten on 58 as Bangladesh reached 152-3 at stumps on the fourth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Dhaka. Bangladesh’s lead swelled to 179 runs after a day shaped by stoppages, a washed-out afternoon and a batting effort that kept the hosts in front.
The chase for control began after Bangladesh resumed on 7-0 and quickly lost Mahmudul Hasan Joy for five. Shadman Islam fell for 10, caught at gully by Saud Shakeel off Hasan Ali, but Shanto and Mominul Haque steadied the innings with a 70-run stand off 122 balls before lunch. Their partnership later grew to 105 off 193 balls, with Mominul making 56 and becoming the latest batter to pass 5,000 Test runs before he was dismissed one ball after Shanto reached his own fifty. Mushfiqur Rahim was 16 not out at the close.
Bangladesh had already given themselves the platform by scoring 413 in the first innings, before Pakistan replied with 386 after Azan made a century on debut. Mohammad Abbas took 5-92 for Pakistan in Bangladesh’s first innings, a spell that kept the contest tight even as the hosts edged ahead by 27 runs on first innings. Rain then took a full afternoon out of the match, leaving the final session and the next morning to decide how much of a result remains in play.
Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful said the side was playing to win and believed there would still be time to force the issue if the weather allowed enough overs on the final day. Pakistan vice-captain Salman Ali Agha, meanwhile, said he was confident his side could chase any target. That leaves the match balanced on two familiar Test forces in Dhaka: a surface that can still demand patience, and a forecast that can still take the game away.
