SYLHET: There was no twist. No recovery. No moment of collective resistance to suggest Pakistan had absorbed even a fraction of the lessons Mirpur had tried to teach them. On the second day of the second Test in Sylhet, they batted with the same fragility, the same recklessness, and the same stubborn indifference to match situation that has defined their Test cricket for the better part of three years.

Resuming at 21 for no loss in reply to Bangladesh’s 278, Pakistan were bowled out for 232. A 28-ball cameo from No.9 batter Sajid Khan — two sixes, four fours, a breezy 38 — provided the gloss. Without it, the scorecard would have been uglier still.

Bangladesh closed the day at 110 for three in their second innings, their lead standing at 156 runs and growing.

This is no longer a batting problem that conditions, opposition quality, or misfortune can explain away. This is a structural collapse of technique, temperament and professional standards — recurring, predictable, and as yet entirely unsolved despite changes to coaches, selectors and support staff.

Pakistan are only the second nation after Zimbabwe to lose three consecutive Tests to Bangladesh. On current evidence, a fourth defeat — and a 2-0 series loss — is not a possibility. It is a probability.

Pakistan lost four wickets in each of the first two sessions before their last two tumbled 16 balls into the third. The surface, which had offered assistance on the first day, had eased considerably. There were no demons, no unplayable deliveries, no conditions that could reasonably excuse what followed.

The numbers reveal the scale of the failure.

Shan Masood faced 26 balls for 21. Saud Shakeel 28 balls for eight. Babar Azam 84 balls for 68. Salman Agha 51 balls for 21. Rizwan 27 balls for 13.

Every one of them got in. Every one of them got out to a shot that had no business being played in a must-win Test. Set starts were squandered not by great bowling but by batters who appeared to have no plan, no awareness of match situation, and no understanding of what the moment required of them.

The overnight pair of Abdullah Fazal and Azaz Awais fell to genuinely good deliveries. Taskin Ahmed caught Abdullah Fazal behind and took Azan Awais via an inside edge to short mid-wicket — both dismissals that could not be held against the batters. What followed had no such mitigation.

Shan Masood, having negotiated 25 balls with composure, drove loosely at Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s second delivery of the spell and was caught at extra cover. A captain who cannot see out a morning session in a must-win Test has bigger problems than technique.

Saud Shakeel, dismissed by the same premeditated sweep that undid him in Mirpur, offered a looping catch to Litton Das behind the stumps off Miraz — a dismissal so familiar it felt rehearsed.

Babar Azam, who had batted with something approaching his old authority for 84 balls, inexplicably attempted a flick at Nahid Rana and scooped the ball to mid-on at 134 for four — the single most damaging moment of Pakistan’s innings, the wicket that ended any realistic hope of posting a competitive total.

Eight runs and 15 balls after Babar’s departure, Salman swept Taijul Islam to be caught at square-leg. Rizwan, whose tour has been a study in quiet underperformance, was beaten in the air and off the pitch by Taijul and bowled for 13.

Bangladesh’s bowlers deserve credit for their discipline and variety. But on this surface, against this batting order, their job was made considerably easier than it should have been.

After Taskin removed both openers, Miraz accounted for the next two before Taijul and Nahid Rana each took three wickets to dismantle the middle and lower order. It was methodical, professional bowling against batters who offered little resistance once the pressure built.

In their second innings, Bangladesh were equally assured. Mahmudul Hasan Joy made 52 and Mominul Haque 30 as the hosts extended their advantage without significant alarm, Khurram Shahzad’s two wickets offering Pakistan’s only moments of encouragement on a day that had precious few.

The trail now stands at 156 runs. Pakistan must bat last on a deteriorating surface against a Bangladesh spin attack that has taken their wickets at will across both Tests. The ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign, which began with considerable ambition, is now effectively finished if Bangladesh complete what they have started. Several careers that appeared established six months ago are now genuinely at risk. And Pakistan cricket, once a byword for match-winning ability in the subcontinent, faces the prospect of a 2-0 series defeat to Bangladesh on Bangladeshi soil for the second successive year.

The questions this raises about the team’s leadership, coaching philosophy, and selection strategy will not wait for the tour of the West Indies to be answered. They are being asked right now, in Sylhet, in the starkest possible terms.

Scores in brief:

2nd Test (day two of five, Sylhet) · Bangladesh lead by 156 runs

BANGLADESH 278 all out, 77 overs (Litton Das 126, Najmul Hossain Shanto 29, Tanzid Hasan 26, Mushfiqur Rahim 23, Mominul Haque 22; Khurram Shahzad 4-81, Mohammad Abbas 3-45, Hasan Ali 2-49) and 110-3 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 52, Mominul Haque 30; Khurram Shahzad 2-19)

PAKISTAN (overnight 21-0) 232 all out, 57.4 overs (Babar Azam 68, Sajid Khan 38, Shan Masood 21, Salman Agha 21, Hasan Ali 18; Nahid Rana 3-60, Taijul Islam 3-67, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-21, Taskin Ahmed 2-37)