Takeaways: Bangladesh’s pace resurgence and renewed batting approach

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.

One could argue that Bangladesh clean sweeping Pakistan at their own den, will be considered their greatest Test series win in their cricket history.

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 nerves 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 late this year.

Cricbuzz has listed six takeaways from the historic Test series win against Pakistan.

Leaving the struggles at home behind

The Bangladesh team had to leave earlier than schedule to Pakistan, to prepare for the Test series due to the political turmoil and instability, that eventually turned the whole political scenario upside down on the back of protests and student movement. The country turned into an open battlefield but the cricketers showed great mental strength and courage to focus on the game, leaving 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 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 certainly was a testament of their character.

Bangladesh top-order's change in approach

Bangladesh lost three successive Tests leading up to the two-match series against Pakistan, 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 91-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 fourth 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 through the tough phases.

Middle order to the rescue

The Test series against Pakistan can be remembered as an epic exhibition of a 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, having sent the top order back to the sheds at 26 for 6.

Rise of the Bangladeshi 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, another pacer, who failed to make a cut in the playing XI.

The rise of Nahid Rana is undoubtedly the highlight of the series. Rana, not only managed to touch the 150 clock but showed his maturity and kept his calm to Babar Azam, which forced the 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 channel consistently throughout the series.

Bangladesh spun a web around Pakistan

While the pace bowlers played their role to near perfection, the onus was also on the Bangladeshi spinning duo of Mehidy and Shakib to dictate terms. They did so perfectly in the opening Test, sharing seven wickets in the fifth day of the first Test, that played a huge role in scripting a fairytale like 10-wicket win. Mehidy, considered to be not very productive in foreign conditions 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 has been applying himself in the middle as the captain for a considerable amount of time. He is slowly gaining the confidence of the players around him and seems to be handling the pressure without being overburdened. He is critical with his field placements and gives his bowlers confidence to execute their strengths.

It has been felt that he is not scoring enough runs due to the pressures of captaincy but that is hardly the case. Those who know him from close quarters, reveal that he is enjoying the responsibility, much like he did from his Under-19 days when he was the vice-captain of the nation in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016. Bangladesh has 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. © Cricbuzz