Bangladesh eyes on maiden win over Pakistan

Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez made their maiden double-centuries in the drawn first Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Khulna which produced 1,515 runs across three innings, the third of them unfinished at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna. Both teams will be hoping for more favourable bowling conditions during the second and final Test, which gets underway at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on 6 May . Pakistan will be particularly eager to end the tour on a winning note, after losing the three ODI and the one-off T20 International match. On the other hands Bangladesh will be keen to build on newfound confidence and register its first-ever win over the visitor in the five-day format. The most remarkable aspect of Bangladesh’s fightback in the first Test after trailing by 296 runs was the manner in which Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes applied themselves at the top of the order. By batting out 76^th  overs during a record partnership of 312 runs, the pair ensured that it absorbed the pressure and didn’t expose the middle order. Bangladesh batted total of 136 overs in the 2^nd innings, getting much needed five day batting practice coming into the final game. Tamim Iqbal showed good composure and collected his runs quite easily as he became Bangladesh’s highest individual scorer in Tests cricket, surpassing Mushfiqur’s 200 runs against Sri Lanka in March 2013. Bangladesh will be play without Rubel Hossain for the last game after the paceman was ruled out because of a side strain, and it remains to be seen if Rahim, the captain is injured his finger while wicketkeeping, makes a full recovery. Mushfiqur Rahim did bat in the second innings. if he plays only as a batsman. it could open a spot for the wicketkeeper of Under-19 level Litton Das.

Pakistan also has been hampered by injuries. Rahat Ali was the latest to join the long list before the start of the series, Bilawal Bhatti has since been named his replacement. It also remains to be seen if Ajmal returns to the mix after being overlooked for the first Test.

Teams Squad:

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt, wk) , Litton Das (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah , Jubair Hossain, Abul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Shahid, Shuvagata Hom, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam.

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhatti.