Sport lends itself to miracles, it's part of why people love it. Bangladesh beating a higher-ranked Test team away from home grabs headlines, but because of their overall inconsistency, they never seem to justify those victories. Their rare wins abroad have always felt like false dawns. Even when they beat New Zealand in 2022, Bangladesh couldn't follow it up. Not later in the series. Not even later in the year . So when they beat Pakistan by ten wickets in Rawalpindi last weekend, it was déjà vu all over again, as American baseball player and coach Yogi Berra liked to say.
Only Bangladesh can stop this cycle from repeating, and in Rawalpindi, as they were outclassing the hosts, there were plenty of signs that it is possible. Their tactics stood out. They had a better understanding of the conditions. They still stuck to their usual way of playing Test cricket - for better or worse - especially against better teams. Start by avoiding defeat. Then look for a draw. Finally once that safety net is secure, push for the win.
Rawalpindi followed this method to a tee, but it also included moments where Bangladesh put the opposition on the mat, like in the first session itself. They had Pakistan at 16 for 3, before the home side recovered. There was also a spell of play in their batting innings when Litton Das went after Naseem Shah. That seemed to deflate Pakistan, who, by then, had been on the field for ages and ages.
Pakistan are under pressure as they confront the possibility of perhaps even losing the series now. Heavy rain could see off the first two days in the second Test, also in Rawalpindi. The forecast improves from there on, but not by much. Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe knows he is in the box seat, but took the high road when asked about it.
"We don't get satisfied or joyful at their [Pakistan's] misery," he said. "It is about us, how we want to perform. We get a lot of confidence in the way we stuck to our game plan."
Bangladesh don't experiment too much with their Test XI. They have two of the best spinners in the world - Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz , with the former a genuine allrounder, and the latter being someone who can bat quite well. It allows Bangladesh to have batting till No. 8, and still play with five frontline bowlers.
Test teams are always looking for such wealth. Hathurusinghe said they knew that the spinners would come into play in the first Test despite the pitch looking very green at the start of the game, if they could get into the fifth day.
"We always wanted to go with that line-up," he said. "We knew with the heat around, this wicket wasn't going to be favourable for fast bowlers for all five days. We knew that our spinners are coming into the game, but for that we needed to drag it into the fifth day."
There could, however, be one change in the Bangladesh line-up for the second Test. The pitch, when it came out from under the covers briefly, looked like it had a lot of grass on it. "[Taskin Ahmed] has a very good chance of playing," Hathurusinghe said, "because of the type of pitch and weather conditions. It is little more favourable for fast bowlers."
While Bangladesh stick to their templated line-up, Pakistan have had to change personnel. There's a feeling around the Test match that Shaheen Afridi's demotion to the bench is a result of Bangladesh playing him out quite comfortably.
Without gloating, Bangladesh understand that they have the upper hand here. They are not going into Friday's game with an underdog mentality. They will look for ways to attack Pakistan, but will always be aware that losing is not an option.
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