Bangladesh completed a 2-0 series sweep of Pakistan with a 78-run victory in the second Test at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on May 20, 2026. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took six wickets in the final innings, finishing with 6-120 as Pakistan were dismissed for 358 while chasing 437. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 94 from 166 balls, but a three-wicket burst on the fifth morning and a collapse after Sajid Khan's dismissal turned the match. The result leaves Pakistan without a Test win on the tour and hands Bangladesh consecutive 2-0 series victories over Pakistan, repeating the 2024 outcome.

Bangladesh's win at Sylhet was built around pressure as much as wickets. Pakistan began the final day needing 437 to win after Bangladesh had set a large target. Mohammad Rizwan dug in and produced the innings his side needed, making 94 from 166 balls and producing early resisted aggression by striking two boundaries off Nahid Rana.

Taijul's late burst

Rizwan's resistance offered Pakistan a platform, but the breakthrough came in the form of a quick flurry on the fifth morning. Pakistan lost three wickets in 13 deliveries as Bangladesh closed the gap. Taijul Islam removed Sajid Khan for 28 to break a 54-run stand, and that dismissal triggered a swift collapse.

Rizwan edged Shoriful Islam to gully in the next passage, and Khurram Shahzad perished for a duck in the following over. Taijul returned match figures that included his 18th Test five-wicket haul, finishing the match with 6-120 from 34.2 overs. Nahid Rana earlier returned 2-71 as Bangladesh's bowlers tightened after Pakistan added 42 runs on the final morning.

Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 358, 78 short of the target. The sequence from Sajid Khan's dismissal to the tailenders being cleaned up underlined the turning point. Taijul's control and the fielding support around him suffocated the chase when Pakistan had looked capable of hanging on.

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Series sweep, again

The win confirmed Bangladesh's dominance over the two-Test series. The hosts had already taken the first Test by 104 runs, and they clinched the series on Day 4 of the second Test when they reduced Pakistan to 316-7.

This Sylhet finish now completes a second successive 2-0 sweep of Pakistan by Bangladesh, repeating the result from 2024.

The on-field tension during Pakistan's chase required intervention. Stump-microphone audio captured exchanges between Mohammad Rizwan and Bangladesh players that prompted umpires Allahudien Paleker and Richard Kettleborough to step in and calm the situation before play resumed. A Bangladesh fielder was heard on the stump mic saying, "For overacting, we’ll dock 50 paise," according to Times of India coverage.

For Bangladesh, the series win is concrete. The 2-0 scoreline is a clear statement on home advantage and the potency of their bowling attack in these conditions. For Pakistan, the tour produced no Test victories and raised questions about how they cope under scoreboard pressure when large targets are asked of them.

Venue and date are worth repeating because home conditions shaped the outcome. Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on May 20, 2026, hosted the defining moments. Taijul's 6-120 and Rizwan's 94 are the headline figures from a match where momentum swung decisively in the space of a single session.

Bangladesh's bowlers found the control needed to turn a long chase into a series-clinching result. Nahid's earlier two wickets and Taijul's late five-wicket innings combined to finish Pakistan off. The hosts tightened their grasp after Pakistan added 42 runs on the final morning, and that tightening was enough to secure a full victory.

There will be debate about the exchanges caught on the stump mic, but the cricketing story is straightforward. Bangladesh bowled Pakistan out for 358, and the margin of 78 runs sealed a memorable home victory and a clean sweep.

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Bangladesh complete back-to-back 2-0 sweeps of Pakistan, repeating the 2024 result; Pakistan finish the tour without a Test win.

This article was created with AI assistance.