PAK vs BAN: The Rise of the Bangla Tigers in International Cricket

After years of disappointing performances in international cricket, especially in ICC events, the Bangladesh cricket team has roared like a tiger today by defeating India’s arch-rivals in a 2-match Test series by 2-0, after winning the opening game of the series by 10 wickets. This win is very special for Shano and Co who are going through a tough time due to the ongoing riots in the country, which also led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who left the country and fled to India.

Under these daunting circumstances, the Bangladesh team played one of the best games of their cricket career by whitewashing the Pakistan team in a 2-match Test series at Rawalpindi National Cricket Stadium on 3rd September 2024. This series win will be remembered for a long time in Test cricket, as the Bangladesh team entered after failing to reach the semi-finals of an ICC event, having been defeated by the Afghanistan national cricket team in a must-win game.

Despite surprising the home team in the first match of the series, like me, no one would have thought that they could win the series, as Pakistan was expected to put in every effort to win the match and save themselves from one of the biggest defeats in Test cricket, especially from a team they have dominated in the past, winning 11 out of 13 games. But in cricket, we can never underestimate a team, especially one that surprised India in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup by beating them and becoming one of the main reasons for the Men in Blue's early exit from the tournament. The Bangladesh cricket team's journey has been full of ups and downs. Initially, they roared like lions, defeating giant teams like India, Australia, and West Indies in international cricket but later, their senior players got involved in several big controversies among players and board members, which also led to resignations and retirements of cricketers.

These reasons were also behind their defeats by Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland. However, by defeating the Pakistan team on their home turf, they have once again shown the world that no team should take them lightly, whether it’s India or South Africa, whom they have yet to defeat in Test cricket.

Chasing 185 runs on the final day of the Test series was never easy for the Bangladesh cricket team, who lost 6 wickets for just 26 runs against the strong bowling line-up of the Pakistan national cricket team. However, a new hero emerged when things got bad for the Bangla Lions as Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz played one of the finest knocks of their cricketing careers by forming a partnership of 165 runs for the 7th wicket, which helped them avoid the follow-on and stay alive in the game.

In the next innings, their bowlers played a crucial role by sending half of the Pakistan team back to the pavilion, picking up 6 wickets for just 81 runs with the help of Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, who bagged 5 and 4 wickets respectively. To create history, the guests were required to chase 185 runs, but the last session was called off due to bad light.

With just one day left to become sensational news in the cricketing world, the Bangladesh batters entered the final day with the score at 42 runs, Zakir Hasan playing on 31 and Shadman Islam on 9. However, they couldn't go beyond a score of 58 as Zakir Hasan was bowled for 40 runs. They faced another blow at 70 runs with the fall of Islam's wicket to Khurram Shahzad. 

Nevertheless, the Bangladesh captain took charge and handled the pressure by forming a 57-run partnership with Haque for the 3rd wicket, taking one step closer to victory. Later, two senior players from Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan and Rahim, hit the winning runs to create history in the cricketing world.

Litton Das was awarded with Player of the Match award for his crucial knock of 138 runs in the first innings that helped his team to avoid follow-on and remain alive in the game. Whereas, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was awarded with Player of the Series award for his all-round performance with bat and bowl.