Pakistan 232 and 316 for 7 (Rizwan 75*, Masood 71, Agha 71, Taijul 4-113) need another 121 runs to beat Bangladesh 278 and 390

It's taking longer than most expected, but Bangladesh are inevitably moving towards history. Bangladesh and Pakistan will go into a fifth day in Sylhet, with Bangladesh on the cusp of another 2-0 clean sweep of Pakistan. They need just three wickets to get there, with Mohammad Rizwan, unbeaten on 75, the final, valiant point of resistance for a visiting side who still need an improbable 121 for victory.

It was thanks primarily to Rizwan, and his 134-run partnership with Salman Agha in the final session, that kept Bangladesh waiting for so long when they appeared to be on course to finish Pakistan off. But two crucial wickets from Taijul Islam - who bowled more than a third of the overs on Tuesday - in the final half hour saw that partnership broken, and the hosts burrow deep into Pakistan's tail.

Rizwan and Agha got together off the back of three quick wickets, and a resurgent Bangladesh sniffing for a quick knockout. Instead, they held them at bay for over three hours, counterattacking early on before seeing off wave after wave of spin and seam from Bangladesh. Even as Bangladesh attacked with the field, the duo kept run-scoring front and centre of their survival strategy, using their feet against spin and timing the ball expertly when pace returned.

That the stand had begun to frustrate Bangladesh became evident when tempers flared in the final hour, with Litton Das taking exception to Rizwan slowing play down after disturbances from the sightscreen. The contest took on a distinct edge, but the Pakistan pair did not lose focus, inching their way towards stumps.

No more wickets might have given Bangladesh a sleepless night, but Taijul put them at ease. With Nahid Rana operating with a new ball from the other end, Taijul produced an arm delivery that skidded through Agha's defences and knocked back his stumps, prompting wild celebrations from the hosts, who understood the importance of the moment. Hasan Ali, whom Rizwan curiously decided against shielding from the strike, posed little resistance, leaving Bangladesh just three wickets adrift.

Such resistance looked unlikely when Rana and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took little time dispensing with Pakistan's young openers. The first breakthrough came, perhaps unsurprisingly, through Rana, who banged in a short ball that Abdullah Fazal tried to turn past gully only to find the fielder, who scooped his hands underneath it just before it touched the ground. While Pakistan saw off the remainder of Rana's spell, Mehidy inflicted another damaging blow, getting one to carry on with the line to Azan Awais and hit him on the front pad, the opener's anguished review failing to save him.

To Pakistan's credit, the prospect of being run through by Bangladesh quickly did not deter them from continuing to be proactive. Off his first ball, Babar Azam got a top edge that flew over the slips for a boundary. Shan Masood, who had begun conservatively, went after Taskin Ahmed, picking up three gorgeously timed boundaries to get himself up and running. He took on Mehidy too, who was unfortunate not to get Masood's outside edge with a lovely delivery earlier, finding gaps through a packed cover region.

If the Agha-Rizwan stand was when Pakistan looked most gritty, it was during Babar-Masood partnership that they appeared at their most fluid. A punched boundary off the back foot from Babar off Taijul brought up the fifty partnership, with the last six overs before lunch producing 46 runs. Masood and Babar picked up from the morning session looking better than perhaps any Pakistan batters have all series. Babar took on the pace bowlers while Masood found himself increasingly comfortably against spin, and a little nudge to long-on produced the Pakistan captain's first half-century this series.

But following that fleeting moment of triumph for Pakistan lay disaster again. With no bowler appearing to trouble him, Taijul sent one down leg that Babar looked to careless flick, getting a faint bit of bat on as Litton held on to a sharp catch. He looked on in utter disbelief, even if that is a dismissal he has been susceptible to in red-ball cricket of late.

The momentum of the session swung decisively the hosts way when Saud Shakeel and Masood fell within six balls of each other. A fuller delivery from Rana induced Shakeel into edging behind, but it was Masood's dismissal that looked to have finally sealed Pakistan's fate. Taijul drew a little bit of extra bounce from the surface, with Masood's flick towards leg hanging in the air briefly. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, stationed at short leg, grabbed on sharply, and another Pakistan collapse appeared on the cards.

It is perhaps some measure of consolation that Agha and Rizwan ensured they held that fate at bay. However, with a full day yet to go, it feels little more than a temporary reprieve from a relentless Bangladesh side who have dominated them for just about every day this series.