Awais makes memorable debut ton as Bangladesh keep control
Azan Awais’ century was the highlight for Pakistan, as a disciplined bowling effort kept Bangladesh narrowly ahead at the end of Day 3 in Mirpur.
Bangladesh hold a slender lead of 34 runs against Pakistan after the end of play on Day 3 in Mirpur. A century on debut from Azan Awais formed the backbone of Pakistan’s batting effort as they were bowled out for 386, just 27 runs short of Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 413.
All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 5/102 and he believes his the Test is evenly poised.
"There are still two days left in the match. The result is currently hanging in a 50-50 situation because we haven't secured a massive lead yet," Mehidy said at stumps on Day 3.
"We must take responsibility while batting. In Mirpur, you never know what a safe score is. However, if we can put up a minimum score that our bowlers can defend - perhaps around 290 or 300 runs - it would be a highly competitive total on this wicket."
Action resumed on Day 3 with Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal well settled at the crease, with Pakistan in a strong position on 179/1.
Awais went on to bring up his century, becoming just the third Pakistani batter to score a debut hundred away from home, following in the footsteps of Fawad Alam and Umar Akmal. Overall, Azan Awais became the 14th Pakistani player to score a century on Test debut.
The pair of Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal stitched together a 104-run partnership before Bangladesh struck back. Taskin Ahmed dismissed Awais to open the door for Bangladesh, who picked up four wickets in the span of nine overs.
Mohammad Rizwan (58) and Salman Ali Agha (59) restored the balance for Pakistan with a crucial 119-run partnership, as both batters brought up their half-centuries before falling in quick succession. The final three wickets then fell for just 33 runs, with Mehidy completing his five-wicket haul.
Bangladesh managed to add seven more runs to their lead before stumps were called due to bad light. Bangladesh will now look to extend their advantage on Day 4 and eventually seal victory, which would mark their first win of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle.