Bangladesh in peril at 26-6: Liton and Miraz fight to avert disaster

Following a memorable victory in the first Test, Bangladesh started well in the second Test.

Dominating with the ball, Nazmul Hossain Shanto's team bowled Pakistan out for 274 runs in the first innings, raising hopes of something remarkable.

However, as soon as they began batting, those hopes quickly vanished, with the team finding itself in disarray due to a batting collapse.

In the second and final Test of the series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh lost 6 wickets for just 26 runs in the first innings under the onslaught of Pakistan's two pacers, Mir Hamza and Khurram Ahmed. Liton Kumar Das, who scored a half-century in the previous Test, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz are now trying to guide their struggling team. After 26 overs, at lunch, Bangladesh's score stands at 75 for 6, still trailing by 199 runs in the first innings.

The previous day, after bowling out Pakistan's innings, Bangladesh ended the day with some relief, scoring 10 runs without losing any wickets in 2 overs. Openers Shadman Islam Anik and Zakir Hasan left the field unbeaten. But disaster struck at the beginning of the third day, with a flurry of wickets. Zakir was the first to fall, caught by Khurram for 14. Five runs later, Shadman was also dismissed by the same pacer.

Already under pressure after losing both openers, Bangladesh was unaware of the tough path that lay ahead. Captain Shanto and Mominul Haque departed at a team score of 20. Bangladesh's first three wickets were taken by Khurram. Then Mir Hamza joined the wicket celebration, dismissing Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan in quick succession.

Khurram, who has dismantled Bangladesh's innings, has so far taken 4 wickets for 15 runs in 7 overs. Mir Hamza has claimed 2 wickets for 29 runs in 9 overs. Now, with the team on the brink, Liton and Miraz have formed a partnership of 38 runs, with Liton batting on 11 and Miraz on 24.