Shan Masood and Babar Azam stitched together a brisk unbeaten stand after Bangladesh removed both Pakistan openers on the fourth morning in Sylhet.

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Pakistan responded positively to early setbacks on day four of the Sylhet Test as Shan Masood and Babar Azam launched a counter-attack to keep their side alive in a daunting chase against Bangladesh.

At lunch, Pakistan reached 101 for 2 in their second innings, still trailing Bangladesh by 336 runs after being set a massive target following Bangladesh’s commanding total of 390 in the second innings.

Bangladesh began the morning strongly by striking twice in the opening session and briefly tightening their grip on the contest. Openers Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais survived the first half-hour but struggled to score freely against disciplined bowling from the hosts.

The breakthrough came through pace spearhead Nahid Rana, whose sharp short ball forced Fazal into a mistimed shot towards gully, where a low catch was safely completed. Bangladesh continued to apply pressure, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz soon added another wicket by trapping Awais lbw with one that straightened off the surface. Pakistan reviewed the decision, but the replay confirmed the dismissal.

With Pakistan suddenly under pressure, Masood and Babar responded in aggressive fashion rather than retreating into defence. Babar got going immediately with a top-edged boundary over the slips off his very first delivery, while Masood gradually shifted gears after a cautious start.

The Pakistan captain took on Taskin Ahmed confidently, producing a series of elegant boundaries through the off side that helped swing momentum back towards the visitors. Babar complemented him with fluent strokeplay of his own as the pair rotated strike effectively and punished loose deliveries.

Bangladesh came close to another breakthrough when Mehidy beat Masood’s outside edge with a beautiful delivery, but luck favoured the Pakistan skipper as the partnership continued to grow.

The half-century stand arrived in style when Babar punched a short delivery from Taijul Islam through the off side for four. Pakistan accelerated notably in the final phase of the session, scoring 46 runs in the last six overs to bring up the 100-run mark at nearly a run-a-ball pace.

Masood remained unbeaten on 41 at lunch, while Babar was solid on 24 not out as Pakistan attempted to build a platform for what would require a record chase in Sylhet. Despite the encouraging partnership, Pakistan still face a huge task to turn the match around against a confident Bangladesh side.