Rana stars as Bangladesh down Pakistan in 1st Test thriller

Chasing 268 for victory in Dhaka, Pakistan were 119-3 before they fell to 163 all out in the final session with debutant Abdullah Fazal scoring a valiant 66.

Bangladesh now hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match home series.

The Test win was Bangladesh's first against Pakistan on home soil and their third overall.

The 23-year-old Fazal put on 51 runs with Salman Agha, who made 26, to raise Pakistan's hopes of victory before Rana rattled the opposition with career-best figures of 5-40.

Rana, 23, made an impact with his pace and reverse swing and his final spell of 4.5 overs got him four wickets for just 10 runs to turn the match on its head.

"Very happy -- proud of all the guys, the way we played," Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

"We have been working hard the last few months and slowly we are getting better at Test cricket -- that's one thing we have always wanted to do."

The victory also saw Shanto equal Mushfiqur Rahim's record of seven Test wins as Bangladesh captain, achieving the milestone in just 17 matches compared to Mushfiqur's 34.

Shanto's batting brilliance

Bangladesh came into the final day with a lead of 179 runs at 152-3 but a clutch of wickets made them falter despite Shanto's 87.

Bangladesh declared their second innings on 240-9 to hand Pakistan a competitive target and a chance for their bowlers to make use of the deteriorating pitch.

Taskin Ahmed took down opener Imam-ul-Haq for two and Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled debutant and first-innings centurion Azan Awais for 15.

Rana removed Pakistan captain Shan Masood for two before Fazal and Agha counter-attacked in their fourth-wicket partnership, but Bangladesh bowlers proved their mettle on home turf to secure victory in the final session of the day.

Rana delivered the decisive blows. He had Saud Shakeel caught behind before producing the ball of the match -- a thunderous 147 kmph (91.3 mph) in-swinging yorker that bowled Mohammad Rizwan for 15.

Rana was on a roll as he trapped Noman Ali lbw and then bounced out Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Mahmudul Hasan Joy taking a simple catch to complete a famous victory.

Pakistan captain Masood proffered no excuses for his side's failure to seize the key moments in the match.

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

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

Pakistan responded with 386 in their first innings but conceded a slender lead after off-spinner 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 interruptions.

The second match will begin on Saturday in Sylhet.

© 2026 AFP

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