International Cricket

Pak vs BD 2nd Test Chattogram — Mominul Haque's Fourth-Innings Rearguard Decoded Over by Over

Anika Nair 15 May 2026 Updated 15 May 2026 ~5 min read ~968 words

Mominul Haque defending in the fourth innings at Chattogram

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Chattogram, fourth innings, 287 to chase or 87 overs to bat. Bangladesh chose option two, and the man who delivered it was Mominul Haque. Across two days he faced 197 balls and made 67 not out — the slowest, hardest, most valuable knock of his Test career. He was dropped twice, lost three partners in the morning session, and at one point had a strike-rate of 19. He never lifted his bat above shoulder height in two hours after lunch on Day 5. The Test ended in a draw with Bangladesh nine down. This is how the rearguard worked.

The technique under reverse spin

Pakistan had reverse swing from over 38 and Abrar Ahmed's wrong'un from over 18. The combined threat is what makes Chattogram fourth-innings batting so hard — you have to leave outside off when the seamers are reversing it back in, then read the wrong'un from the hand before it pitches.

Mominul's answer was a two-step trigger and a soft front-pad presentation. The front leg went outside the line of off-stump rather than across it. That allowed him to leave the reverse-out-swinger and pad the in-swinger without committing his bat. Against Abrar he stayed deep in the crease and let the ball come to him, using the pad-bat closed gate to nullify the wrong'un.

The shot selection was austere. Of his 197 balls, 142 were defended without scoring. He played no drive on the up, no cut against spin, no sweep until the 88th over of his innings. The two boundaries he hit before tea were both off Naseem Shah — short balls pulled square of the wicket.

The danger phases

The first danger phase was the morning session of Day 5. Mominul came in at 38 for 2 in the 14th over after Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan fell to Shaheen and Naseem. Shakib Al Hasan fell at 51 for 3 trying to drive Abrar against the spin. Najmul Hossain Shanto fell at 79 for 4 to a brute from Naseem that took the edge. Mominul was at 14 off 51 balls when lunch was taken with the score 91 for 4.

The second danger phase was the post-lunch session when Mushfiqur Rahim fell for 31 and Litton Das fell for 8 in the space of 19 overs. Bangladesh were 142 for 6 with 41 overs to bat and Mominul on 28 off 91.

The third danger phase was the eighth-wicket stand. Mehidy Hasan came in and Mominul absorbed the strike for him — taking 71 of the next 91 balls and shielding the off-spinner from Abrar. The 38-run partnership in 26 overs was the partnership that saved the Test.

What the numbers say

Mominul's 197-ball innings broke down by hour. Hour one: 12 runs off 47 balls, strike rate 25.5. Hour two: 9 runs off 36 balls, strike rate 25.0. Hour three: 14 runs off 41 balls, strike rate 34.1. Hour four: 17 runs off 44 balls, strike rate 38.6. Hour five (when he could attack): 15 runs off 29 balls, strike rate 51.7.

He was dropped on 23 by Salman Ali Agha at slip off Sajid Khan and on 51 by Babar Azam at short leg off Abrar. The Abrar drop in the 76th over of the innings was the cricket-changing moment — had it been held Pakistan would have wrapped the tail in under 15 overs.

What it means for the series

The Test ended a draw and the series finished 1-1. For Bangladesh the rearguard is the morale boost they needed after the Mirpur defeat — a 217-run loss in three and a half days. Mominul's knock confirms what coaches have said for years: when the front pad is right and the bat is soft, Mirpur and Chattogram surfaces are survivable.

For Pakistan the worry is the second new ball. They took it in the 81st over of the fourth innings and got just one wicket — Mehidy Hasan caught at slip for 38. Shaheen Afridi looked tired in his second spell on Day 5, going at 4.2 an over with the new ball. The seamer-friendly slot Pakistan needed to convert was wasted.

The forward view

Bangladesh leave the home stand with a drawn series against Pakistan and a clear plan for the next Test cycle — Mominul at four, Shakib at six, two spinners minimum. The WCL2 series points are also useful for the WTC 2025-27 cycle table.

Pakistan's Test future is more uncertain. Shan Masood's captaincy will face review after a near-miss home series. Babar Azam's Test average of 32 in 2026 is the lowest of his career. The selection committee meets in early June ahead of the West Indies tour.

What to watch next: Shan Masood's post-series review and the Babar batting-position conversation ahead of the West Indies tour.