Bangladesh completed a historic 2-0 Test series sweep against Pakistan, triggering a significant shake-up in the ICC World Test Championship (2025-27) standings, taking the Tigers to fifth place. As a result, the Indian cricket team has further slipped in the standings to the 6th spot. Securing a 78-run victory in the second Test in Sylhet to back up their opening win in Mirpur, Bangladesh, boosted their points percentage (PCT) to 58.33% from four matches, leapfrogging India (48.15% PCT) in the table.
While defending champions Australia continue to rule the roost at the summit with an 87.50% PCT, followed by New Zealand and South Africa, Pakistan’s miserable run in the longest format has seen them endure a total freefall. After the defeat against Afghanistan, they have dropped to eighth place with a mere 8.33% PCT, sitting just ahead of the bottom-placed West Indies.
Updated World Test Championship Points Table
As for the match, Taijul Islam finished with six wickets as Bangladesh dismissed Pakistan for 358 on Wednesday for a 78-run win in the second cricket test and a 2-0 sweep of the series.
The left-arm spinner took two of the three wickets to fall on Day 5 and returned 6-120 from 34.2 overs, clinching the series after helping reduce the tourists to 316-7 on Day 4.
Pakistan added 42 runs on the fifth morning before losing three wickets without addition to the total in 13 deliveries as Bangladesh rushed to victory. Bangladesh won the first test by 104 runs.
The victory marked Bangladesh’s second successive series sweep against Pakistan, having previously completed a 2-0 victory in 2024.
The end of Mohammad Rizwan’s defiant, 166-ball innings signalled the end of Pakistan’s hopes of chasing down an improbable victory target of 437.
Rizwan (94) struck Nahid Rana (2-71) for consecutive boundaries in the third over of the day to make Pakistan’s intention clear. Sajid Khan also scored freely to maintain pressure on the bowlers from the home team.
But Taijul’s breakthrough, dismissing Sajid for 28, ended a 54-run partnership, marked his 18th five-wicket haul in test matches and hastening the result.
In the next over, Rizwan cut a Shoriful Islam delivery straight to gully. Taijul wrapped up the Pakistan innings in the subsequent over by removing Khurram Shahzad for a duck.
With AP Inputs
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