Rana stars as Bangladesh win first Test at home against Pakistan | Cricket News

Nahid Rana’s second five-wicket haul allows Bangladesh to cruise to victory over Pakistan at home in Dhaka.

Pace bowler Nahid Rana took five wickets as Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 104 runs in the rain-hit first Test after a thrilling fifth day of batting.

Chasing 268 to win in Dhaka, Pakistan were 119-3 before collapsing to 163 in the final innings on Tuesday as opener Abdullah Fazal scored a brave 66.

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Bangladesh now leads 1-0 in the two-match home series.

The Test win was Bangladesh’s first against Pakistan at home and third in all their matches.

Fazal, 23, shared a 51-run stand with Salman Agha, who turned 26, to raise Pakistan’s hopes of victory before Rana was able to challenge the opposition with impressive figures of 5-40.

The 23-year-old Rana impressed with his pace and back-spin, and his last wicket of 4.5 overs earned him four wickets for just 10 runs to turn the game on its head.

“Very happy – proud of all the boys, the way we played,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

“We’ve been working hard for the last few months, and little by little, we’re getting better at cricket. This is one thing we’ve always wanted to do.”

The win also saw Shanto equal Mushfiqur Rahim’s record of seven Test wins as Bangladesh captain, a feat achieved in just 17 matches compared to Mushfiqur’s 34.

Good shot by Shanto

Bangladesh went into the final day with a lead of 179 runs at 152-3, but too many wickets saw them fail despite Shanto’s 87.

Bangladesh declared their second innings at 240-9 giving Pakistan a competitive target and an opportunity for the bowlers to capitalize on the faltering game.

Taskin Ahmed dropped opener Imam-ul-Haq for two, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled first-rounder and first-rounder Azan Awais for 15.

Rana removed Pakistan skipper Shan Masood for two before Fazal and Agha in their fourth-wicket partnership, but the Bangladeshi batsmen proved their mettle on home soil to claim victory in the final over of the day.

Rana delivered big punches. He had Saud Shakeel caught behind before making the ball of the match – a 147-kilometre-per-hour (91.3-mile-per-hour) run that bowled Mohammad Rizwan for 15.

Rana was on a roll as he trapped Noman Ali LBW and then bowled to Shaheen Shah Afridi as Mahmudul Hasan Joy took a catch to complete a famous victory.

Pakistan captain Masood did not give any reason to bemoan his team’s failure to take important moments in the match.

“In the first innings, with bat and ball, we had to do better,” he said. “When you have a game in your hands, you have to push the opposition, but we failed to do that.”

Shanto stood out for his batting skills as he made 101 in the first innings to guide Bangladesh to 413.

Pakistan responded with 386 in their first innings but conceded a narrow lead after Mehidy returned figures of 5-102.

Rain played spoilsport on the third and fourth days of the Test with a few overs lost due to disruption.

The second match starts on Saturday in Sylhet.