Shoaib Akhtar served up a devastating spell of reverse-swing fast bowling to bring Pakistan back into the contest in the second Test at Peshawar. At 310 for 2, Bangladesh held all the aces, but Shoaib ripped through the line-up with a scorching burst of inswinging yorkers and short deliveries – all bowled at a furious pace. It was far too much for Bangladesh's batsmen, who folded up for 361, despite Javed Omar's 119. Shoaib, who took 5 for 9 in a five-over burst, finished with magnificent figures of 6 for 49.

Shoaib's inspirational spell started immediately after lunch. The placid pitch afforded no assistance to the bowlers, but that hardly mattered to Shoaib, who used the late reverse-swing to deadly effect. Omar was bowled by one such delivery, ending a 130-run third-wicket stand with Mohammad Ashraful (310 for 3).

Ashraful, who had stroked his way to a fluent 77, was Shoaib's next victim, attempting an injudicious pull to a short ball which was wide outside off stump. The top edge preesnted Rashid Latif with a simple catch (315 for 5). Three balls later, Khaled Mashud shouldered arms to an inswinging delivery which was spearing in towards middle stump and was trapped plumb in front.

Shoaib wasn't done, though. Next over, he had two more scalps to celebrate: Alok Kapali inside-edged to Latif, while Mohammad Rafique was cleaned up by another speedy yorker (320 for 8). Danish Kaneria chipped in with a fortuitous wicket, when Rajin Saleh (3) was adjudged to have nicked a catch to Latif, and Bangladesh had lost six wickets for 10 runs.

Shoaib was then taken off the attack, and normalcy returned, as Khaled Mahmud led a rearguard fightback, adding a further 41 for the last two wickets. Inevitably, Shoaib was called back into action, and he finished off Bangladesh's innings when Mahmud hoicked a short ball straight to Shabbir Ahmed at fine leg. Pakistan had struggled through four sessions for two wickets, and had taken none in the afternoon session on the first day; with Shoaib stepping it up a gear, they needed only 16 more overs to wrap up the innings.

A Bangladesh collapse seemed highly unlikely at lunch, after Omar and Ashraful had batted through the first session with plenty of assurance. Omar became only the fourth Bangladesh batsman to notch a Test century, while Ashraful showed his potential, playing some pleasing drives through cover. Pakistan's only chance of breaking through in the first session came when Ashraful scooped a drive off Umar Gul, who spilled the sharp return catch.

Bangladesh went into lunch at 302 for 2, eyeing their highest Test total. In 22 Tests before this one, Bangladesh had never survived an entire session without losing a wicket. Here, in the space of three sessions, they had managed it twice. Shoaib's destructive spell spoiled the fun, but Bangladesh had still managed their second-highest total in Tests. Now, it was for their bowlers to keep up the good work.