Draw on the cards, but Mominul and Shanto extend Bangladesh’s lead

Pakistan's fast bowlers started strong, quickly dismissing the openers again. However, the two left-handed batsmen managed to stabilize the innings, and the only breakthrough for Pakistan came from Shaheen Shah Afridi late in the final session. The day began under cloudy skies, and the first wicket fell in a way typical for seam bowlers on a green pitch. Abbas bowled one that came back sharply into Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s pads. Pakistan kept the scoring tight, taking another wicket when Hasan Ali's delivery bounced unpredictably, catching Shadman Islam's bat. The task of rebuilding once again fell to Mominul and Shanto, who resumed their partnership. Mominul played cautiously, while Shanto began to increase the scoring rate, with each run slightly favoring Bangladesh. During the last half hour of the session, the duo appeared in control, and, similar to the first innings, runs came easily during that time. Salman Ali Agha's spin was a challenge early on, with Mohammad Rizwan missing a tough catch from an edge, but that threat diminished quickly. Mominul even struck Agha over his head just before lunch. The rain might have helped Pakistan by interrupting the flow of the partnership and complicating Bangladesh's plans. Yet, when play resumed nearly four hours later, both batsmen showed no signs of losing their grip on the game, easily reaching their half-centuries despite the occasional pressure from Abbas's precise bowling. Shan Masood delayed introducing Noman Ali until after 35 overs, likely to avoid using a spinner against two left-handers. However, upon bowling, Noman proved his worth by making Mominul edge a ball to short leg, where Abdullah Fazal missed a sharp opportunity. Noman remained a threat for the rest of the day, often targeting the rough areas around the left-handed batsman’s off stump, nearly catching Mushfiqur Rahim off guard with a mis-hit that just cleared the long-on fielder. Bangladesh's steady progress was only halted when Afridi found movement to trap Mominul, who edged the ball. With some time left in the final session, Pakistan hoped to induce a collapse, but Shanto and Mushfiqur ensured that did not happen until bad light ended the day. Brief scores: Bangladesh 413 and 152 for 3 in 50.3 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 58*, Mominul Haque 56; Hasan Ali 1-23) lead Pakistan 386 in 100.3 overs (Azan Awais 103, Imam-ul-Haq 45, Abdullah Fazal 60, Salman Agha 58, Mohammad Rizwan 59; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-102, Taijul Islam 2-46, Taskin Ahmed 2-70) by 179 runs.