2nd Test: Another series in the bag

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets to win 2-0, complete tour whitewash.

DHAKA: Abdur Rehman claimed four for 51 as Pakistan posted a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second and final Test in Dhaka to make a clean sweep of the series.

Pakistan, who won the first Test in Chittagong by an innings and 184 runs, achieved their 103-run victory target off just 20.5 overs in the last session of the fifth day’s play at the Shere Bangla stadium. Opener Mohammad Hafeez smashed a 52-ball 47 and Azhar Ali contributed 34, before captain Misbahul Haq finished the match with a six over long-off against Elias Sunny.

“We were pushing to get home quickly as the light could have faded any moment,” said Misbah. “This Pakistan team has been playing for nearly one-and-a-half years and at the moment we are an experienced side. Everybody is learning how to play Tests and that’s the key to success.

“Bangladesh gave us a tough time, especially in the first-innings when they built a good partnership. They also made it difficult for us to score but they will have to be consistent in batting and bowling.”

Bangladesh, trailing by 132 runs after the first-innings, had been comfortably placed at 212 for five but collapsed to 234, with left-arm spinner Rehman taking three wickets and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal two. Rehman’s four-wicket haul was his best in 12 Tests.

Nasir Hossain (79) and captain Mushfiqur Rahim (53) defied the Pakistan attack for more than a session, adding 117 for the sixth wicket before falling in the space of nine runs. Rahim reached his half-century when he swept Rehman for four, but soon lost his patience, stepping out to attempt a lofted shot off the spinner to be caught at mid-off.

“I regret the way I got out,” said Rahim. “Had I stayed on we might have batted another half an hour and put more runs on the board. There were some good individual performances from Shakibal Hasan, Nasir, Mohammed Nazimuddin and Shahriar Nafees. These are the positives we take forward.

“Our bowlers did well but our fielding has become a concern as we dropped vital catches that cost us the match.”

Rehman got another wicket in his next over when he dismissed Shahadat, superbly caught by Younus Khan at first slip, while Ajmal bowled Sunny and had Robiul Islam stumped to complete 50 Test wickets in the year.

Shakib was named man of the match for scoring 144 and taking six wickets in the first-innings.

 6 Hafeez showed why his bowling is as important to Pakistan as his batting and fielding when he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the ODI series

123  Umar Akmal  Not part of the Test squad for the second series running, Umar showed glimpses of a return to form, finishing as Pakistan’s highest scorer in the ODI series, just one run behind Bangladesh’s Nasir Hossain

265  Younus Khan With a double-hundred in the first Test, Younus, with more Test runs than anyone else in the series, was also the man of the series. His sharp reflexes, and timely advice, on the field also came in handy

11  Abdur Rehman

Saeed Ajmal finished with 50 Test wickets in 2011 but Rehman outshone his partner in the series, finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Tests and leading Pakistan’s fightback on the final day of the tour

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2011.