Takeaways: Bangladesh’s pace resurgence and renewed batting approach

One could argue that Bangladesh’s clean sweep over Pakistan in their own den will be considered their greatest Test series win in their cricket history.

Bangladesh have hardly won any Test series abroad. The 2-0 series win against Pakistan is only their third Test series win away from home, with their previous two series wins over West Indies in 2009 (2-0 in two games) and Zimbabwe in 2021 (1-0 in a solitary Test match) until this historical feat at Rawalpindi.

There were doubts whether Bangladesh could continue their momentum for the second Test against Pakistan after their maiden win over the hosts in their 14th attempt. The visitors had failed to wrap up the series after winning the first Test notably against Australia at home in 2017, and New Zealand both home and away in 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Bangladesh held their nerve this time round against Pakistan to leapfrog to fourth spot in the ICC World Test Championship standings. They have made a resounding start to their red-ball fixture list as they are slated to play a two-match Test series against India, South Africa and West Indies later this year.

Here are six takeaways from the historic Test series win against Pakistan:

Leaving the struggles at home behind

Bangladesh had to leave earlier than scheduled to prepare for the Test series due to the political turmoil and instability that eventually turned the whole political scenario upside down. The country turned into an open battlefield but the cricketers showed great mental strength and courage to focus on the game, and left behind their anxiety for their near and dear ones during the horrifying events.

Furthermore, Bangladesh’s dressing room had it’s fair share of external noise during the series. Bangladesh Cricket Board’s newly elected president Faruque Ahmed announced that they are on the lookout for alternatives for Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach, despite his contract running until the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. Veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s international future was also under scrutiny ahead of the second Test, after being accused in a murder case. Bangladesh managed to keep everything aside and focus on their cricket to achieve the historical feat that was certainly a testament to their character.

Top-order’s change in approach

Bangladesh lost three successive Tests leading up to the Pakistan series, and that was largely due to the failure of their batting unit. It had turned out to be a major concern for the team management ahead of the series. However, the Bangladeshi batters certainly deserve credit this time round for their application in the middle. Shadman Islam’s brilliant 93-run knock in the opening game and Mushfiqur Rahim’s marathon 191-run innings, an epic which lasted for eight hours and 42 minutes, laid the platform for the win in the series opener.

Zakir Hasan’s blazing start in the fourth innings of the second Test not only took Pakistan by surprise, but also stemmed belief in the dressing room that they are on the verge of creating history. Mominul Haque also played his part. He scored a half-century in the first Test while he stayed firm along with captain Najmul Hossain for the third wicket in the final innings of the second Test. Skipper Najmul came good in the last innings of the series with a resolute 38. It was noteworthy to see that although some batters did not score big, they occupied the crease and played according to the situations.

Middle order to the rescue

The Test series against Pakistan can be remembered as an epic rescue act from the middle and lower order. Litton Das was not in the best of form heading into the two-match Test series, but he rescued Bangladesh big time in the second Test with his heroic hundred. His brilliant half-century in the first Test paved the way for the tourists to post a commendable total of 565. Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored two half-centuries in the series, one of the defining factors in determining the fate of the two Tests. Neither of them gave an inch to Pakistan who were pulling the strings, especially in the second Test having reduced Bangladesh to 26 for 6.

Rise of Bangladesh pacers

Bangladesh is going through a pace revolution off late, and the way the fast bowlers operated in the series only validates the statement. The absence of regular Test pacer Ebadot Hossain due to injury was hardly felt by the visitors. The strength of the pace unit can also be ascertained by Khaled Ahmed who was unable to make the cut in the playing XI.

The rise of Nahid Rana is undoubtedly the highlight of the series. Rana not only managed to touch the clock 150 clicks but showed his maturity and kept his calm against Babar Azam which forced the experiences batter into mistakes.

Hasan Mahmud initially labelled as a white-ball bowler, also showed enough promise with the red ball while Taskin Ahmed never looked out of sorts, having returned to Test cricket after an 18-month hiatus. There was no hue and cry either after Shoriful Islam was rested due to injury which highlighted the camaraderie within the group and the growth in Bangladesh’s pace department. The pacers managed to exploit the conditions by bowling in the right channels consistently throughout the series.

Experienced spinners come to the fore

While the pace bowlers played their role to near perfection, the onus was also on the Bangladeshi spin duo of Mehidy and Shakib to dictate terms. They did so perfectly in the opening Test, sharing seven wickets on the fifth day of the first Test that played a huge role in scripting a fairytale 10-wicket win. Mehidy considered to be not very penetrative in foreign conditions. Mehidy silenced his critics with a five-wicket haul in the second Test. There was hardly any assistance for the spinners in Rawalpindi, but the duo were rewarded for their patience through accurate bowling.

Najmul’s growing leadership

Najmul’s natural leadership skills has shone since he took over as captain. He is slowly gaining the confidence of the players around him and handled the pressure without being overburdened. He has been critical with his field placements and gave his bowlers confidence to execute to their strengths.

While it is true that Najmul’s performances with the bat have been underwhelming recently it is not due to the pressures of captaincy. Rather, those who know him from close quarters reveal that he has been enjoying the responsibility, much like he did during his Under-19 days when he was the vice-captain in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016. Bangladesh have spent a lot of time grooming him to be a leader, and he is keen to return the investment of the board. The Pakistan series win is just the beginning for Najmul and his teammates.