RAWALPINDI: Mushfiqur Rahim recorded the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batter in Pakistan and helped push his team into the lead in the first Test in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
The 37-year-old was unbeaten on 173 for his 11th Test century, defying the Pakistan pace attack as Bangladesh reached 495-6 at tea.
The visitors are now 47 runs ahead of Pakistan’s first innings total of 448-6 declared, and have an outside chance of capturing their first win over Pakistan.
Bangladesh have lost 12 of 13 Tests against Pakistan, with one draw.
Mushfiqur overtook the previous highest individual score of 119 by Javed Omar, scored in Peshawar in 2003, and was lucky to get a life on 150 when Babar Azam dropped him off Salman Agha at leg slip.
Mushfiqur has so far struck 20 boundaries and a six in a marathon eight-hour, 10-minute knock, setting a Bangladesh record of 163 for the unbroken seventh wicket with Miraz in all Test cricket.
The previous record of 145 was set by Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyadh against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2010.
The Rawalpindi pitch continued to support batting as Bangladesh lost only Liton Das (56) in the two sessions, with Mushfiqur anchoring the batting.
He added 114 for the sixth wicket with Liton to lift Bangladesh.
Before Liton’s dismissal, Pakistan thought they had Mushfiqur leg-before by pace bowler Mohammad Ali but umpire Richard Kettleborough’s verdict was overturned on review when the replay showed the ball missing leg stump.
Mushfiqur, then on 59, went on to hit two boundaries off both Khurram Shahzad and Saim Ayub before reaching the three-figure mark.
Resuming at 316-5 Bangladesh lost Liton in the ninth over of the day when Naseem Shah’s short delivery caught an edge and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan took an easy catch.
Liton added just four to his overnight score of 52, hitting eight boundaries and a six.
For Pakistan, Shahzad (2-81) and Naseem (2-92) were the pick of the bowlers.
The second and final Test will also be played in Rawalpindi, from August 30.
Mushfiqur’s epic gives Bangladesh lead over Pakistan in first Test
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Mushfiqur’s epic gives Bangladesh lead over Pakistan in first Test
- The 37-year-old was unbeaten on 173 for his 11th Test century, defying Pakistan pace attack
- The Bangladesh side is now 47 runs ahead of Pakistan’s first innings total of 448-6 declared
Pakistan Supreme Court halts trial of prominent lawyer over alleged anti-military tweets
- Top court orders lower court to pause proceedings after lawyers allege due-process breaches
- Mazari-Hazir, husband face charges under cybercrime law that carry up to 14 years in prison
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday halted the cybercrime trial of prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, after their lawyers argued that a lower court had recorded witness testimony in their absence, violating due-process rules.
Mazari-Hazir, one of Pakistan’s most outspoken civil liberties lawyers, and Chattha are being prosecuted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that authorities say incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as involved in “terrorism.” Both reject the allegations. If convicted under the relevant PECA provision, they face a prison term of up to 14 years.
The case has drawn broad attention in Pakistan’s legal community because Mazari-Hazir, who has been repeatedly detained over her criticism of the security establishment, argues that the trial court ignored basic procedural guarantees despite her medical leave request. The case also comes as Pakistan faces sustained scrutiny over the use of PECA against activists, journalists and political dissenters, with lawyers arguing that lower courts often move ahead without meeting minimum fair-trial standards.
The couple’s lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, said his clients filed a petition in the Supreme Court because the lower court had moved ahead improperly.
“Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has stayed the lower court proceedings, the trial court proceedings and has said that the [Islamabad] High Court should decide our pending revision petition for which a date has already been fixed,” he told reporters.
Azad said the violation was clear under Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires evidence to be recorded in the presence of the accused.
“Yet, on that very day, evidence of four witnesses was recorded in their absence, and a state counsel was appointed to conduct cross-examination on their behalf,” he said. “All these things are against the right to a fair trial under Articles 10 and 10-A.”
A three-judge bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar ordered the trial court to pause proceedings and instructed the Islamabad High Court to hear the couple’s pending criminal revision petition first.
The trial had been scheduled to resume on Dec.15, but the Supreme Court’s stay now freezes proceedings before both the additional sessions judge and the special PECA court.
The Islamabad High Court is expected to hear the criminal revision petition next week.
Chattha, who is also a lawyer, said the SC ruling underscored the need for procedural safeguards.
“It is a victory for the constitution and the law,” he said, arguing that the trial court had ignored their request to re-record witness statements in their presence.
