It was 10:43am when Khurram Shahzad trapped Shakib Al Hasan lbw for 2. Bangladesh were 26 for 6. They had lost six wickets for 16 runs on the morning of day three, and they were in danger of rewriting their lowest Test total, 43 all out.
Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz stood between Pakistan and a big lead. One more wicket and they would be into Bangladesh's tail.
It was looking like the same old story for Bangladesh, particularly after they had won the previous Test. This second Rawalpindi Test was poised to become the Christchurch to their Mount Maunganui miracle. This batting collapse was threatening to become the asterisk to a tour of many successes, much like the rider that accompanies their 2009 triumph in the West Indies, their only overseas series win, that it came against a severely weakened opposition.
For the next four hours, though, Litton and Mehidy steadily repelled Pakistan, leading a fightback that enabled Bangladesh to narrow their first-innings deficit to a mere 12 runs, with their last four wickets adding 236 runs. Litton struck his fourth Test century, and Mehidy scored his second fifty of the series to go with his ten wickets. Litton and Mehidy added 165 runs, the highest seventh-wicket partnership in Test cricket to begin with their team six down for 30 or less.
Bangladesh is familiar with firefighting partnerships. Colombo 2007, Khulna 2015, Hamilton 2018 and Mirpur 2022 are some of the prime examples, and there are others, too, but more often than not, these partnerships have not contributed to Test victories. Among these examples, only one even brought about a draw.
Rawalpindi 2024 could be different. All four results are still possible given how the third day ended, with Pakistan 9 for 2 in their second innings, and with rain forecast for the rest of the match. This partnership has all the potential to be regarded as Bangladesh's most epic rearguard, particularly if they end up winning this Test series.
When Mehidy joined Litton, Bangladesh were in a hopeless situaiton. Mehidy hit Amir Hamza for a couple of fours in the over after Shakib's dismissal, showcasing the confidence he carried into this game from the first Test, where he had put on a match-turning 196 with Mushfiqur Rahim, but no one could have expected the miraculous recovery that followed.
"We were a bit nervous at that start of the partnership," Litton said. "I never thought I would have to bat before the [first] drinks break. We told each other that since Pakistan has the momentum in that moment, let's take our time and see what happens. I didn't have a long-term plan at that point. Shakib bhai got out quickly so both Miraz and I were new at the crease. The new ball was still on, so it was challenging. We wanted to drag the game, and possibly get the momentum back into our side.
"I enjoyed batting with him. He is always positive. We talk about how to score in that situation. I know we were on the back foot, but that's the opportunity. If you are a big player, you have to cash in on that opportunity. Credit goes to Miraz for taking the initiative. I was struggling with the hand [injury]. His early boundaries gave us a rhythm."
Litton got going with a clipped four off the on-fire Shahzad, but he largely played the waiting game from his end. Mehidy found boundaries regularly off Mohammad Ali and Abrar Ahmed, timing his cover drive and square-cut crisply. Only after lunch did Litton open up fully. He hit two fours through gully off Shahzad in his second spell. Shahzad conceded four fours in his next over, with Litton dispatching him for three of them including a straight drive and a pull.
"There was a bit of refreshment after lunch," Litton said. "I felt [Pakistan] were a bit tired. I took that chance. I could score as it was in my zone."
By the time Litton connected with a slog-swept four off Abrar, Pakistan were looking a little short of answers with the old ball. Bangladesh crossed the follow-on mark shortly afterwards, and slowly started to turn the corner as the field started to spread out.
The pair asserted its dominance over the Pakistan attack when Shahzad tried to go short at them, and Litton and Mehidy pulled and hooked him for three sixes over the course of the 46th and 50th overs. The last of those sixes triggered a bout of cramps in Litton. Mehidy fell soon after, and Taskin Ahmed only lasted five balls, leaving Bangladesh 193 for 8.
All this could have been a cue for Litton to start going after everything, but perhaps because of what was at stake for Bangladesh, he didn't do that. He kept an eye on how Hasan Mahmud was coping, and once he established that the No. 10 could survive, he began farming the strike, playing around with Pakistan's defensive fields, and progressed towards his century.
"When Hasan arrived at the crease, I went into a totally defensive mindset," Litton said. "All the fielders were outside, so I had no chance to find boundaries. Credit to Hasan that he played for long with me. We talked about scoring runs, whether it was one or two runs per over. We can cut down on their lead."
Litton spoke of the physical challenge of his innings, given the amount of time he had spent keeping wickets in this game, and the fact that he had walked to the crease early in the day. He also took a blow to his hand and battled cramps after entering the 80s.
"A Test hundred is a big deal against any team in any situation," he said. "The centuries against New Zealand [in Christchurch] and Pakistan [in Chattogram] were also important to me. This was an innings played in tough conditions. The weather was really hot.
"I kept wickets for 90 overs yesterday, and then I got to bat quite quickly today. This was the challenging part. There was help on the wicket too.
"It is always great to contribute for the team. My job is to help the team as a batter or fielder. When a team is 26 for 6 and you drag them to this position, of course you'd feel great."
Litton attacked Abrar and Salman Ali Agha from time to time to steer Bangladesh close to Pakistan's total. When he smashed Abrar for two sixes in the 74th over, Pakistan looked visibly dejected.
Despite having engineered such a massive momentum reversal over the course of day three, Litton warned that Bangladesh cannot be complacent over the rest of the Test match, which remains in the balance. But he believes that, given the way the pitch has behaved in every morning session, especially with the new ball, Bangladesh could put Pakistan under a lot of pressure.
"We have to work really hard tomorrow," he said. "Our bowlers have to dig deep to get them. It is still a 50-50 game. Whoever does well tomorrow, they will be ahead. Rain is not in our control, but we have to bowl well early tomorrow. There's help for the new ball in this wicket. If we can get early breakthroughs and bring the momentum, we have a chance for another comeback.
"I am not saying we can bowl them out easily. But we have to take responsibility as a bowling and fielding side. If we bowl in right areas, they will struggle. This is not an easy wicket to bat on, or score quickly. You have to take time to score. We have good spinners and pacers, so let's see what happens tomorrow."
At 26 for 6, Bangladesh had been like a boxer on the mat, with the referee having counted up to six. From a cricketing point of view, the Litton-Mehidy partnership was a Bangladesh version of the Dravid-Laxman epic from Kolkata 2001. The stakes in Rawalpindi were just as high.
Bangladesh arrived in Pakistan having endured a poor year on the field. They arrived early to begin their training here, with the political situation back home meaning their foreign coaches could not be guaranteed security. They encountered plenty of off-field issues during the first Test, but still went on to win. Then they collapsed to such a point that a heavy defeat looked imminent. Then Litton and Mehidy brought them back from the dead. The stage is set now for Bangladesh to cash in on perhaps their greatest-ever comeback.