Pakistan allrounder Salman Ali Agha has made clear that his side are targeting victory in the Mirpur Test and has set out precisely the kind of target they would welcome on the final day: 260 runs in around 70 overs. The catch, he admitted with a wry smile, is that he does not expect Bangladesh to be bold enough to offer it.
“At the moment, we are definitely going for the win. If they are brave enough to give us around 260 runs in 70 overs, we will obviously want to chase that down, though I don’t think they will do that. If we get two sessions, we will look to go for the chase initially and then see how the pitch behaves. Right now, our aim is to win the match,” Salman said at the post-day press conference.
Bangladesh closed day four on 152 for 3 in their second innings, leading by 179 runs. Play on day five will begin 30 minutes early at 9:30am to compensate for the overs lost to rain, which had wiped out more than a session during the fourth day.
Shanto remains unbeaten on 58 alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, who is not out on 16. Bangladesh will look to push their lead as far as possible before setting Pakistan a target, though Salman suggested the arithmetic is straightforward.
“Their lead is now 179. If they want to set us the kind of target I mentioned, they will need to score another 100 runs in the next 20 overs. If they can do that, then great. But there is also risk involved. I would like them to do it. If they give us 260 in 60 to 70 overs, that would be good. But I don’t think they will.”
Salman was careful not to declare either side the favourite heading into the final day, but was emphatic that Pakistan would not be playing for a draw.
“In any Test match, you always prioritise victory first. If they give us 260 in 70 overs, why would we not chase it? We would definitely want to go for it. But if they give us something like 300 to 350 in 40 to 50 overs, chasing that on a fifth-day Test wicket could become very difficult. Then maybe we would have to defend. But whatever target we are given, we will try to chase it.”
On Bangladesh’s relatively measured scoring rate during the afternoon session, Salman noted that they had not looked to accelerate despite having time in hand, and suggested day five could see a change in approach.
“Tomorrow they may try to score quickly and set us a target. Let’s see what happens. At this moment, it is difficult to say who is ahead. Our goal is to bowl them out quickly. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day for Test cricket.”
This is the first of a two-Test series between the two sides. The highest successful fourth-innings chase at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium remains England’s 209-run effort in 2010, a record that adds further intrigue to what Bangladesh can realistically set and what Pakistan can realistically chase.
