Bangladesh seize lead on fourth morning thanks to Mominul, Shanto

31/2 in 10.1 overs: Openers Mahmudul Hasan Joy 8 and Shadman Islam 13 fell to Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali. Pakistan’s pace attack started well on a surface that offered early movement. Bangladesh weathered the loss of two early wickets, with Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto leading another recovery with an broken 70-run partnership on the fourth morning of the first Test in Mirpur. Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali had Bangladesh in trouble early on when, just as in the first innings, the openers fell early in the morning session. But, armed with the buffer of a slender lead, Mominul and Shanto consolidated, and as the threat from both the new ball and the match situation eased, found run-scoring becoming easier. Partnership: Najmul Hossain Shanto + Mominul Haque added 170 runs for 3rd wicket. Significance: Highest 3rd-wicket stand for Bangladesh vs Pakistan, and 3rd highest overall for Bangladesh at home. Control: Took Bangladesh from 31/2 to 201/2. Pair batted through most of the morning and afternoon sessions. Shanto 101 off 130: Captain’s knock, 12x4, 2x6. Shifted gears after lunch, drove expansively, cleared the ropes off Agha. Reached 100 with a cover-driven boundary off Abbas. Mominul 91 off 200: “Understated and canny”, worked late cut, soaked pressure. Anchored while Shanto attacked. Dismissals: Shanto lbw Abbas first ball after century, overturned on review. Mominul lbw Noman Ali for 91, missing his 14th Test ton. The job of rebuilding fell once more to the pair primarily responsible for putting Bangladesh in this position of relative control. Mominul and Shanto merely picked up from where they had left off in the first innings, settling in as they took the sting out of Pakistan's attack. Mominul was the more cautious of the pair, while Shanto gradually began to pick up the scoring rate, every run appearing to tilt the match situation ever so slightly Bangladesh's way.