Bangladesh is on the verge of victory against Afghanistan in the series' only Test match. Heading into the fifth and final day, Bangladesh needs 7 wickets to win, while Afghanistan requires another 347 runs to reach the target of 479. At the close of play on day four, Afghanistan was at 132 for 3 in their second innings.
Bangladesh scored 346 runs in their first innings at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. In reply, Afghanistan's innings folded at 240. Subsequently, in the second innings, Bangladesh declared at 372 for 7, powered by a magnificent century from wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das, setting Afghanistan a target of 479 runs for victory.
Bangladesh had ended the third day at 223 for 6 in their second innings, with Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz remaining unbeaten. Litton received two lifelines early on the fourth day; he survived dropped catches off Afghan spinner Qais Ahmad while batting on 14 and 26.
Capitalizing on those opportunities, Litton played a superb innings. Partnering with Miraz, he not only advanced the team's score but also laid the foundation for a massive total. After completing his half-century off 61 balls, the wicketkeeper-batter reached the seventh century of his Test career off 114 balls.
In the over preceding Litton's century, Miraz had completed the 11th half-century of his Test career. He also survived a dropped catch off Afghan pacer Mohammad Saleem while on 44. Ultimately, the duo's batting efforts secured a formidable total for Bangladesh.
Litton fell to Saleem on the second ball of the 106th over, having scored 102 runs off 117 balls with 14 fours. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto declared the innings immediately after his dismissal. Meanwhile, Miraz remained unbeaten on 52 off 97 balls, hitting 5 fours.
The 149-run partnership off 201 balls between Litton and Miraz for the seventh wicket provided a solid foundation for the Bangladesh innings. Earlier, in the first innings, captain Shanto scored 82 runs and Mushfiqur Rahim scored 81. For Afghanistan, Zia-ur-Rehman, Yamin Ahmadzai, and Mohammad Saleem claimed two wickets each.
Chasing a massive target of 479 runs, Afghanistan found themselves under pressure right from the start. Ebadot Hossain dismissed opener Abdul Malik for 2 runs in the very second over. Subsequently, Nasir Shahidullah, coming in at number three, made an aggressive start with four boundaries but was dismissed for 19, caught by Litton Das off the bowling of Hasan Mahmud.
After losing two wickets for 28 runs, opener Sediqullah Atal and captain Rahmat Shah formed a partnership. Their stand of 82 runs off 214 balls helped Afghanistan cross the 100-run mark. Ebadot broke the partnership by dismissing Rahmat, who had scored 51 runs, including five fours and a six.
Afghanistan did not lose any further wickets after Rahmat's departure. Sediqullah Atal and Hashmatullah Shahidi saw out the day's play; Atal remained unbeaten on 35 and Shahidi on 19. For Bangladesh, Ebadot took two wickets and Hasan Mahmud claimed one.
Afghanistan faces a daunting target on the final day. Bangladesh needs to quickly take seven wickets to seal the victory. On the other hand, the Afghan batters face the challenge of staying at the crease and scoring runs while trying to save the match.
