Sami Chaudhry's column on Pakistan v Bangladesh Test series: Abid Ali's aggression and Taizul Islam's 'dreams'
Abid Ali maintained his edge in the first innings with the same consistency and perseverance, his form remained the same in the second innings.
Momin-ul-Haq had a look of disappointment on his face. When Azhar Ali hit Mehdi Hassan with two fours in a row, the frustration deepened as Bangladesh's palace of hopes was piled up and Pakistan had won.
This palace of hope was based on the possibility that just as Taizul Islam had kept the Pakistani batsmen in the loop in the first innings, the assumption was that his balls would confuse the batsmen on the fifth day pitch in the second innings.
But Momin-ul-Haq made the mistake of stopping the new ball early in the second innings and the partnership of Abdullah Shafiq and Abid Ali attacked Taiz-ul-Islam and removed his 'ding'.
If Taizul Islam had got a slightly older ball, the story might have been a bit different and the dreams of Taizul Islam's 'upset' who took seven wickets in the first innings might have come true.
Similarly, if the Bangladeshi batsmen had shown even a little restraint in the second innings and had taken time till the end of the fourth day or even an hour earlier, perhaps Taizul Islam would not have faded like this but Shaheen Shah Afridi overcame all such hopes. The tide turned and the entire responsibility of handling the innings fell on Lytton Das alone.
If the target for Pakistan here was around 250 then maybe there would have been some pressure on the Pakistani middle order which was facing failure in the first innings but this target was so reasonable that Pakistan needed some stupidity to lose the match from here. And Abid Ali ruled out any such folly.
The consistency and perseverance with which he maintained his edge in the first innings, his form remained the same in the second innings and he was close to making a unique record of a century in both innings.
If Taizul Islam had got a slightly older ball then maybe the story would have been a bit different
As Abdullah Shafiq from the other end played with him, he is admirable. After spending more than a year on the bench, as soon as he got his first chance, he made full use of it.
Abdullah Shafiq is a natural batsman. Like Babar Azam, he is a natural stroke maker. Although many people were confused about his participation in Test cricket, Abdullah answered all the fears with his beautiful strokes.
If this form of Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafiq had not been included then Bangladesh would have been fully advanced in this match after the lead of the first innings. To get out of here, he needed a hero who could make a splash in one Bangladeshi innings after another.
And here Shaheen Shah Afridi played exactly the same role that Hassan Ali had played in the first innings that when the three pieces of the bowling unit could not achieve special success, the fourth one carried the whole burden on his shoulders.
In the context of the World Test Championship, every match is important and every win is valuable but if Pakistan is to maintain its continuity then the bowling combination will need to be reconsidered in the next match.
In Mirpur, Pakistan will need a regular league sniper and Babar Azam has to decide which of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali will be left out so that Pakistani bowling can take the form of a truly complete and balanced attack.
This victory is a sign of happiness for Pakistan but Bangladesh has a lot to think about. Batting in the second innings has always been a weakness of Bangladesh. There must be a permanent cure for this weakness, otherwise Bangladesh, in Test cricket, will never be able to move in the right direction.