After the frustrating end to the Twenty20 World Cup and three-match Tenty20 series at home against Pakistan; Bangladesh faced the visitors in the format in which, many of the players are less interested in playing – Test cricket.

Surprisingly, Mahmudullah Riyad announced his retirement from test cricket whereas; he should have continued, while, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal were absent citing injury reasons. Bangladesh fought, took lead and then yet again, let the match slip out of their hand as Pakistan took the lead.

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first on a track that looked greenish but started to lose its life after the first session.

The first day at Chattogram started with an earthquake and then had smoke from a nearby fire billowing above the stadium – Pakistan set jitters in the inexperienced Bangladesh top order that lacked character and technique to survive against the quality of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali.

But Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Kumar Das found the ground beneath their feet and on Day 1, Bangladesh experienced no further aftershocks.

From four down for 49, Mushfiq and Liton put on an unbroken 204-run partnership to wrest back control on the first day, the home side sitting pretty at stumps at 250 for 4.

It’s just the second time Bangladesh have ever put on a partnership of 200-plus in Test matches against Pakistan.

Dropped from the Twenty20 side and becoming a cruel victim of online trollers, Liton notched up his maiden test hundred while coming in to bat with the top and upper-middle order decimated.

Liton fought off the new ball, the spinners, a niggle as he approached his hundred – a fitting reply to the critics.

On Day 2, Hasan Ali’s fifth Test five-for this year – and sixth overall – put Bangladesh on the back foot before openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique cemented Pakistan’s dominance.

Pakistan’s ascendency began in the second over when Hasan’s searing opening spell spoiled Bangladesh’s first-day progress.

He trapped Liton Das lbw for 114 with a delivery that zipped into his back leg, and trapped him lbw. It ended the fifth-wicket stand, which yielded 206 runs with Mushfiqur Rahim, only the second double-hundred stand by Bangladesh against Pakistan.

The debutant Yasir Ali looked fine for 18 balls before a Hasan delivery, seaming in sharply, sent his stumps for a walk. Then Mushfiqur added nine runs to his overnight 82 before Faheem Ashraf had him caught behind.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck six fours in his unbeaten 38, but he was left stranded when Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan cleaned up the tail quickly.

On Day 3, it was all about the bowlers – at first Taijul Islam caught Pakistan on the backfoot and then, Afridi left Bangladesh batting order in a mess.

Taijul loomed large over the proceedings, taking out seven wickets as Pakistan lost ten wickets on the day for 141 runs. But a searing Shaheen Shah Afridi then picked up three wickets in a rush, and Bangladesh went to stumps precariously placed at 39 for 4.

On Day 4, Hasan Ali took over – Ali jagged back one into Maushfiq who thought that the ball would leave him, rather it disturbed the timber and Bangladesh lost their way.

Liton Das and Yasir Ali tried to revive Bangladesh’s fortunes, but they hardly looked settled. Liton survived a missed stumping and a miscued hoick, while Yasir nearly ran himself out, and inside-edged a couple of boundaries.

Afridi put paid to Bangladesh’s recovery at that stage when he struck Yasir on the back of his helmet with a bouncer, around the first-hour mark. A concussed Yasir walked off after seven deliveries and was sent for scans.

His concussion substitute, Nurul Hasan, struck three fours before playing a needless lofted shot, straight to long-on.

Liton followed him back to the pavilion shortly, trapped lbw by Afridi, who then removed Abu Jayed with another ripper that struck him on the gloves and grille, and flew to the wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Offspinner Sajid Khan wrapped up the innings with his third wicket when Taijul Islam was stumped for a duck.

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Pakistan openers did not lose cool and remained resolute while chasing 202 and on day 5, the formalities were completed.

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