Dhaka - Arabstoday
Abdur Rehman claimed 4-51 as Pakistan posted a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second and final cricket Test in Dhaka on Wednesday to make a clean sweep of the series.Pakistan, who won the first Test in Chittagong by an innings and 184 runs, achieved their 103-run victory target off just 20.5 overs in the last session of the fifth day’s play at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.Opener Mohammad Hafeez smashed a 52-ball 47 and Azhar Ali contributed 34, before skipper Misbah-ul-Haq finished the match with a six over long-off against Elias Sunny.Bangladesh, trailing by 132 runs after the first innings, had been comfortably placed at 212-5 in their second innings but collapsed to 234, with left-arm spinner Rehman taking three wickets and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal two.Rehman’s four-wicket haul was his best in 12 Tests. Nasir Hossain (79) and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (53) defied the Pakistani attack for more than a session, adding 117 for the sixth wicket before falling in the space of nine runs.Rehman removed both the well-set batsmen in four overs before accounting for Shahadat Hossain (one) in the afternoon session.Nasir, a 20-year-old playing only his fourth Test, cracked 11 fours in his maiden half-century before being bowled by Rehman. Rahim hit seven boundaries in his ninth Test half-century.Rahim reached his half-century when he swept Rehman for a four, but soon lost his patience, stepping out to attempt a lofted shot off the spinner to be caught by Ajmal at mid-off. Razzaq backs IndiaPakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq says Australia doesn’t have any world-class bowlers and will struggle to beat India in next week’s first test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Razzaq, who is in Australia playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash Twenty20 competition, says India deserves to be favoured because star bowlers like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have retired and Brett Lee is no longer playing test cricket.He said an attack led by James Pattinson and Peter Siddle would have difficulty against the No. 2-ranked test country, saying “India are aiming to be the world champions, and they will give a tough time to Australia.”Hope for Pakistan .A top Pakistan Cricket Board official is confident of bringing back international cricket to the country next year.PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf says he has invited Bangladesh to play “few international matches” in Pakistan in April 2012.Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009, killing six police officials and a driver.The Bangladesh itinerary for 2012 is yet to be finalized.Ashraf says a security team from Bangladesh will tour Pakistan next month and will hold meetings with security officials.