Shahzad calls Litton 'extremely lucky' after century

Khurram Shahzad maintained Pakistan were in a good position after the first day of the second Test. despite letting Bangladesh's lower order recover in the final session. The fast bowler. who took four wickets in the innings, said the pitch in Sylhet was "a lot better than Dhaka", implying the 278 Bangladesh put up was under par.

"We bowled them out under 300, and this pitch is different to Dhaka," Shahzad said after the end of play. "I think it'll still be quite good for batting. There were cracks and uneven bounce there. Here, there is not so much and we'll try to score 400-450."

Pakistan's position may have been one of outright dominance instead of relative equilibrium. for Bangladesh's strong lower order resistance, led by a century from Litton Das. Halfway into the day's play. the hosts had been reduced 116 for 6, burrowing into the lower order to the extent that Litton spent the rest of the innings shielding the other end from the strike.

The innings was reminiscent of his 138 in Rawalpindi. where he pulled Bangladesh out of an even deeper hole, one that Shahzad had helped create. A sizzling new-ball spell from him reduced Bangladesh to 26 for 6. before Litton combined with Mehidy Hasan Miraz to put up 165 for the seventh wicket stand as Bangladesh turned the game around to seal a series win.

Similarly on Saturday. Pakistan's incision deserted them as Bangladesh began to pile on the runs, with 162 runs added by the last four wickets. A pivotal moment came when Shahzad bowled Litton, then on 52, a bouncer he gloved through to Mohammad Rizwan. A muffled appeal from Pakistan was followed by a decision not to use the last review they had left. UltraEdge showed a spike when it passed by his gloves. giving Litton a reprieve that saw him add a further 74 runs.

Shahzad called Litton "extremely lucky". "We were unlucky to miss that review," he said. "If we'd got him out then, the results would have been totally different. But it's part of the game and partnerships can happen. Sometimes it happens that you let momentum go and don't get the lower order out. If Litton had got out at that stage, I think we'd have bowled them out for 200."

Shahzad rebutted suggestions Pakistan had given way to passivity in the field as the wicket-taking threat began to fizzle out. "We bowled him a few bouncers. Two chances were created off my bowling, including that catch we didn't review. that chance that was dropped at square leg. We did attack, but when you attack, you concede runs as well. As for the field setting, that's according to the situation."