BAN vs PAK, 2nd Test, Day 2 Live Score: Litton Das hit a brilliant century to rescue the Bangladesh national cricket team from a dramatic first-class collapse as the hosts scored 278 runs in their first innings on the first day of the second and final Test against the Pakistan national cricket team on Saturday.
Pakistan ended the day on 21 unbeaten in reply, with Azan Owais unbeaten on 13 and Abdullah Fazal on 8 in Sylhet.
Litton leads Bangladesh’s recovery
Coming in at number six, Litton played a counter-stroke of 126 off 159 balls, smashing 16 fours and two sixes in his sixth Test century. His innings came at a crucial time after Bangladesh slumped to 116/6 shortly after lunch.
Pakistan, who were already 1-0 down in the two-match series after their 104-run defeat in Mirpur, elected to bowl first after winning the toss – a decision that paid immediate dividends.
Pakistan strikes early
Bangladesh opener Mahmud Hasan Joy was dismissed for a duck after beating Mohammad Abbas to second on the second ball of the match.
Debutant Tanzid Hassan looked promising during his quickfire 26 off 34 balls, hitting three boundaries before attempting an ambitious shot against Abbas, who completed a catch on his bowling.
Mominul Haq was then bowled for 22 by Khurram Shehzad.
Bangladesh captain Najm Hossain Shanto and veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim tried to stabilize the innings with a 43-run partnership.
Collapse after lunch
However, Bangladesh lost momentum immediately after lunch, losing three wickets for just 15 runs.
Shanto edged Abbas for 29, Mushfiqur was trapped lbw for 23, and Mehdi Hasan Miraz was dropped for four after suffering a deep leg injury, leaving the hosts reeling at 116/6.
The lower order supports Litton
Leyton found valuable support from the lower order. He put together a patient 60-run partnership with Taijul Islam, who scored 16 off 114 balls. Litton reached his fifty in 93 balls before accelerating quickly.
The right-hander needed just 42 more runs to complete his century, doing so with a neat delivery off Shehzad before sending the next ball for six.
Litton then added 38 runs alongside Taskin Ahmed and followed it up with a crucial ninth-wicket stand of 64 runs with Shariful Islam off just 73 balls.
“The most important thing in this innings is that Taijul, Taskin and Shureful batted well and faced a lot of balls,” Litton said.
Pakistan missed the reviews
Pakistan also missed two crucial review opportunities during Bangladesh’s innings. Replays later showed fading edges from Mashkoor and Leyton, but captain Shan Masood chose not to challenge the referee’s decisions.
“We were getting wickets early. Unfortunately, we missed some reviews,” Shahzad said.
“If we had been able to get them out there, it would have been a completely different situation.”