They were dismissed for 274 but the purchase that Bangladesh’s spinners got and the return of Abrar offer them a glimmer of hope

Danyal Rasool31-Aug-2024A stone was knocked over, and Pakistan began with a trip. In unfamiliar territory, looking to avoid making unwelcome history, it was an inauspicious start. So when they brushed off that grazed knee, and Saim Ayub and Shan Masood began to lead them back down the cliff edge they were so dangerously perched on, a sense of relief replaced the wild panic that Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal had instilled.But just as that steady progress suggested sure footing had once more been established, there was a more worrying tumble. Masood, having batted so well to fight through the early stages of an innings, in a match where he fights not just for his captaincy, but potentially his career, was beaten by a Mehidy Hasan Miraz ball that skidded on. It was a score of substance rather than one of command, but it keeps the lights flickering.And a side he has tried to shape in his image has ended up in a collective position that could be characterised similarly. Masood’s dismissal triggered Bangladesh’s most dominant spell of the day, a lethally scintillating middle session where spin and pace alike gave Pakistan no breathing space, sending them careering down the precipice they had until then steadily descended.Ayub was undone in the flight as he jiggled down the pitch before Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana softened up an unconvincing Babar Azam as Shakib Al Hasan trapped him in front from the other end. Each of the remaining top eight scratched their way to double figures as Pakistan scrapped to regain their foothold, but having been knocked off balance once too often, they were letting events take their course by the end of the day.Related

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Having acknowledged last week the declaration had come too early, turning the innings over to Bangladesh roughly 200 runs shy of the position they were in last week would have been a challenging call to make for a captain perhaps already sensing the scapegoating scythe. But with a day of play already lost and the weather indicating further interruptions following the weekend, Masood – in more ways than one – doesn’t have time on his side. Pakistan know they need to do all the running in this game; Bangladesh, after all, have the high ground with a 1-0 lead, and stalemate suits them just fine. It may mean taking some wild swings, and leaving themselves exposed to the haymaker. But when you’re losing on points anyway, they could be risks worth taking.In that awkward position where any decision made could have even more deleterious consequences, Pakistan followed the Hippocratic principle: First, do no harm.Abrar Ahmed will have a big role to play with the ball if Pakistan are to save the series•AFP/Getty ImagesThey let the avalanche take them rather than cling to every nook and crevice they were swept past. And Bangladesh’s quality assured it wouldn’t be long before the innings ended, anyway, wrapping Pakistan up for 274 with a sliver of the day still to go.But as the fall breaks after day two, Pakistan find themselves in something of a mountain pass. Having spilled a chance off the first ball of Bangladesh’s innings, they’ve missed the opportunity to salve one of their wounds. But they don’t know if they’ve broken any bones, or how far they still are from safety. As Salman Ali Agha pointed out “you just can’t make any judgments about whether we’ve posted a good score until they also bat”.All Pakistan can do is huddle themselves up overnight in this temporary lodging that offers some refuge from the high winds lashing the cliffs on either side. There is hope to get them through the night; the weather forecast already looks brighter on Monday and buys Pakistan more time. Bangladesh’s spinners took six wickets today, never have more than that number fallen to spin on the opening day of play in a Test match in Pindi. And having brought Abrar Ahmed back after his contentious omission last week, it opens up a path to 20 wickets Pakistan deprived themselves of in the first Test.”Abrar and I have a major role,” Agha acknowledged. “The spinners’ ball isn’t coming onto the bat and is deviating quite a bit.”Pakistan are still way off base camp, and it won’t take much to find themselves staring into the abyss of a 2-0 series defeat. But having tried so hard to unsuccessfully manoeuvre themselves into a winning position last week, they may have stumbled into one which offers that glimmer of hope this time around.