BAN vs PAK 2026, BAN vs PAK 2nd Test Match Report, May 16 – 20, 2026

Lunch Pakistan 232 and 101 for 2 (Masood 41*, Babar 24*, Rana 1-16, Miraz 1-25) trail Bangladesh 278 and 390 by 336 runs

Bangladesh removed the Pakistan openers on the fourth morning of the Sylhet Test as Pakistan pursued the huge target Bangladesh had set them in a session where both sides attempted to be positive. The teams ultimately shared the spoils. Pakistan countered sharply following the two wickets, with Shan Masood and Babar Azam combining for an unbeaten half-century stand at just under a-run-a-ball.

Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais held out for the first half-hour, but Bangladesh had kept the run-scoring to a minimum. The first breakthrough came, perhaps unsurprisingly, through Nahid Rana, who banged in a short ball that Fazal’s attempt to turn towards gully only found the fielder, who scooped his hands underneath it just before it touched the ground.

While Pakistan saw off the remainder of Rana’s spell, Mehidy Hasan Miraz inflicted another damaging blow, getting one to carry on with the line to Awais and hit him on the front pad, the opener’s anguished review failing to save him.

To Pakistan’s credit, the prospect of being run through by Bangladesh quickly did not deter them from continuing to be proactive. Off his first ball, Babar got a top edge that flew over the slips for a boundary. Masood, who had begun conservatively, began to come out of his shell, targeting Taskin Ahmed, picking up three gorgeously timed boundaries off him to get himself up and running.

It appeared to bring him out of his shell against Mehidy, who was unfortunate not to get Masood’s outside edge with a lovely delivery earlier, finding gaps through a packed cover region as the partnership approached 50.

It came thanks to a punched boundary off the back foot from Babar as Taijul Islam erred in length. The last six overs produced 46 runs as Pakistan brought up the 100, and though this is a positive little partnership, Pakistan will know they need much more than that if they are to make a dent in this record chase.

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