Bangladesh in the driver's seat in the Rawalpindi Test

Bangladesh have had another great session by frustrating the Pakistani bowlers. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehdi Hasan Miraj made a record partnership for the seventh wicket on the way to take the lead beyond Pakistan's capital.

Bangladesh scored 495 runs for 6 wickets in the first innings till the tea break of the fourth day in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Nazmul Hossain Shanta's team from Pakistan is leading by 47 runs. Bangladesh added another 106 runs in the second session without losing any wicket.

This is the highest team collection of Bangladesh in the field of Pakistan. The previous highest total was 361, by the Tigers in the Peshawar Test in 2003. All together, Bangladesh's highest team total against Pakistan is 555/6. Bangladesh got that run by Tamim Iqbal's double century in Khulna in 2013.

Mushfiqur is at the crease with 173 and Miraz 50 runs. Their pair has reached 163 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim scored the eleventh test century of his career.

This is Bangladesh's biggest partnership for the seventh wicket in Tests. Earlier in 2010, Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan made a partnership of 145 runs against New Zealand for the seventh wicket in Hamilton. Miraz-Mushfiq now overshadowed it.

Incidentally, Mushfiqur scored 10 centuries in Tests, out of which three were double centuries. He scored 219 against Zimbabwe in 2018 and 203 in 2020 at the same ground. In 2013, Galle played an innings of 200 runs against Sri Lanka. This is Mushfiqur's 11th and 80th Test century in Bangladesh history. This is his seventh Test century against Pakistan and third at Pakistan's home ground.

After seeing Mushfiqur's responsible batting, former Pakistan captain and former chairman of the country's Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raza praised him yesterday. He said, 'Mushfique is absorbing all the pressure of the Bangladesh team. If he bats like this, Bangladesh can make this test competitive.

Bangladesh /SBT