In response to Pakistan’s first innings total of 448 runs in the Rawalpindi Test, Bangladesh has ended their first innings at 565 runs, securing a 117-run lead. Pakistan will begin their second innings late on Day 4.

On Saturday, August 24th, Bangladesh’s innings faced an early blow in the first session when Liton Das, who scored 56 runs off 78 balls, was dismissed by Naseem Shah. However, Mushfiqur Rahim, known as “Mr. Dependable,” held the innings together, receiving support from Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mushfiqur, showing resilience, reached his 11th Test century off 203 balls.

Bangladesh continued to build on the partnership, with both Mushfiqur and Miraz leading the charge. In the 136th over, they surpassed Pakistan’s total of 448, giving Bangladesh a crucial lead. Miraz also completed his half-century, while Mushfiqur was on the verge of a double century. Unfortunately, he fell short by just 9 runs, scoring 191 off 341 balls before being dismissed.

Following Mushfiqur’s departure, Hasan Mahmud was out for a duck, but Shariful Islam kept the momentum going with some aggressive batting. However, Miraz was eventually caught off Shaheen Afridi’s delivery after scoring a well-fought 77 off 179 balls.

Shariful continued to add runs quickly, contributing 22 off 14 balls before being caught, bringing Bangladesh’s innings to an end at 565. This gave Bangladesh a 117-run lead.

This score marks Bangladesh’s third-highest total in Test cricket. The highest remains 638 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2013, followed by 595/8 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017.

For Pakistan, Naseem Shah was the standout bowler, taking three wickets. Shaheen Afridi, Khurram Shehzad, and Mohammad Ali each claimed two wickets, while Saim Ayub took one.

Earlier in the match, Pakistan had declared their first innings at 448/6, thanks to twin centuries from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan.