Miraz turns pace plan on its spin

Bangladesh entered the Mirpur Test with a clear plan in mind. 

The surface had been prepared to assist pace, and with Nahid Rana emerging and a fully fit Taskin Ahmed back in the attack, there was a growing belief that a new fast-bowling era at home was finally taking shape.

For long stretches, that thinking looked justified. Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas had already taken a five-wicket haul, and when the visitors surged to 210 for 1, it felt like Mirpur was behaving exactly as expected. Seam movement early, disciplined pace bowling, and Bangladesh’s long-term vision seemed to be aligning.

Then came the third day, and with it a complete shift in control.

What followed was a collapse that turned the Test on its head, and at the centre of it stood Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Taskin Ahmed struck first, removing Azan Awais and Shan Masood in quick succession. From there, Miraz tightened the grip with precision rather than drama. 

Saud Shakeel, one of Pakistan’s most reliable batters, was trapped leg before wicket for a golden duck. Abdullah Fazal, after a composed innings, was lured into a drive and chipped a simple catch to mid-on. In the space of 20 runs, Pakistan lost four wickets and slipped from 210 for 1 to 230 for 5.

The irony was unavoidable. A pitch designed to empower pace had been taken apart by an off-spinner.

Miraz’s spell was not built on extravagant turn or mystery deliveries. It was built on control, consistency and pressure. He repeatedly hit the right areas, varied his pace subtly, and never allowed Pakistan’s batters to settle. The doubt he created proved decisive.

“There wasn’t a lot of spin, but I tried to hit the right areas,” Miraz said. 

“A few balls did turn and that created doubt in the batters’ minds, which helped me get wickets.”

He also explained his tactical approach. “When I came on, we were slightly on the back foot because we had leaked runs without taking wickets. My job was to contain the flow. If I leaked runs too, they could have gone 30 or 40 more ahead. I just try to bowl tight and hold an end. Wickets come as a bonus. In the second innings, when the pitch starts turning, I can be more attacking.”

Miraz also credited the partnership with Taskin. 

“We bowled really well in partnership. Taskin from one end, me from the other. That pressure forced mistakes. In Test cricket, if you bowl in good areas and don’t let batters score freely, chances come.”

Pakistan eventually recovered to 386, largely through a 119-run stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha, finishing just 27 runs short of Bangladesh’s 413. But the innings belonged unmistakably to Miraz, who finished with 5 for 102.

It was his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his seventh at Mirpur, a ground where he continues to influence matches with remarkable consistency. Bangladesh had entered the Test hoping to showcase their pace attack. Instead, it was their most dependable all-rounder who dictated terms once again.

The performance also raised quiet questions about team balance. If a surface prepared for seam still allowed Miraz such control, was there ever a strong enough argument to leave out a specialist spinner like Nayeem Hasan?

In a Test shaped by expectations of pace and defined by spin control, Miraz once again stood at the centre — turning Bangladesh’s pace plan, quite literally, on its spin.