Mehidy’s Five-For Gives Bangladesh Narrow Lead After Pakistan’s Spirited Reply

Bangladesh holds a slim 34-run lead over Pakistan at the end of Day 3 in the Mirpur Test, following a see-saw battle that saw debutant Azan Awais score a century and Mehidy Hasan Miraz claim his 14th five-wicket haul.

The day belonged to 21-year-old Azan Awais, who became the 14th Pakistani to score a century on Test debut. Despite being struck on the helmet by a Nahid Rana bouncer early in his innings, Awais showed immense character to score a fluent 103. He shared century stands with Imam-ul-Haq and fellow debutant Abdullah Fazal (60), helping Pakistan reach a comfortable 210 for 1.

Bangladesh fought back in the morning session. Taskin Ahmed, returning to Test cricket for the first time since 2024, claimed his 50th Test wicket by dismissing Awais. This sparked a middle-order collapse as Pakistan slumped from 210 for 1 to 230 for 5.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the attack, finishing with figures of 5 for 102. Despite a resilient 119-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan (50) and Salman Agha (58), Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 386, conceding a 27-run first-innings lead to the hosts.

At stumps, Bangladesh reached 7 for 0 in their second innings. Mehidy described the match situation as "fifty-fifty," emphasizing the need for a second-innings lead of at least 300 runs.

"We have to bat responsibly. The wicket may get harder to play on the fourth and fifth days" Mehidy noted.