Litton and Mehidy lead Bangladesh's splendid fightback in 2nd test against Pakistan

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Century-maker Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz led a Bangladesh fightback in the second test, overshadowing Pakistan fast bowler Khurram Shahzad’s maiden five-wicket haul on Sunday.

Litton laced his attacking 138 with 13 fours and two sixes while Mehidy made an equally impressive 78 that propelled Bangladesh to 262 after Shahzad's early burst had left the tourists reeling at 26-6 inside the first hour on Day 3.

Pakistan, which lost the first test by 10 wickets last week, lost opener Abdullah Shafique and nightwatchman Shahzad to fast bowler Hasan Mahmood and limped to 9-2 at stumps for an overall lead of 21 runs.

“I was a little bit nervous when I came out to bat before the first drinks interval,” said Litton, who struck his fourth test hundred and second against Pakistan. “I took it positive way and took responsibility with Miraz when they had a good momentum.”

Shafique had a below-par series by scoring only 42 runs in four innings before he edged Mahmud and the fast bowler capped the perfect day for Bangladesh by knocking back the stumps of Shahzad in the last over of the day.

“We have to take responsibility as bowling and fielding side,” Litton said. “If we bowl in right areas they will struggle. This wicket is not easy to bat on, and we have good spinners and pacers.”

Shahzad snared 6-90 but both Litton and Mehidy counterattacked the right-arm seamer after lunch with an enterprising 165-run partnership while keeping sole specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed at bay (0-83) as Pakistan's third seamer Mohammad Ali left the field due to dehydration.

“I enjoy batting with Mehidy, he’s always positive and we talked how to score in that situation,” Litton said.

Shahzad added two more to his four-wicket burst in the morning session when Mehidy, who hit 12 fours and a six, offered a tame return catch to the right-arm fast bowler and Taskin Ahmed was pinned down leg before wicket.

Litton raised his century soon after tea when he cut Ahmed to the third-man boundary and further frustrated Pakistan by raising 69 runs with No. 10 Mahmud, who made 13.

Pakistan was scratchy in the field as Ahmed couldn’t hold onto a tough one-handed return catch when Litton was on 90 and then skipper Shan Masood dropped a low catch off Mahmud at short cover.

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who bowled 41 overs in the first test after Pakistan left out Abrar but bowled just 3.4 overs this time around, finally ended Pakistan’s misery in the field when Litton was caught at long-on after staying at the wicket for 5.5 hours.

Earlier, the Bangladesh top order stumbled against Shahzad and Mir Hamza’s (2-50) impeccable seam and swing and slumped to 26-6 inside 34 balls after they resumed Sunday at 10-0.

Shahzad started Bangladesh’s slide when Zakir Islam (10), the only top-order batter to reach double figures, softly flicked the right-arm seamer to mid-wicket. Shahzad then clean bowled left-hander Shadman Islam round his legs and then induced a sharp inswinger to strike the stumps of captain Najmul Hossain Shanto inside one over.

Left-armer Hamza kept up the pressure from other end and induced a leading edge from Mominul Haque before first test century-maker Mushfiqur Rahim fell to an outswinger and edged behind the wicket.

Shahzad capped the best session of the series for Pakistan when he had Shakib Al Hasan leg before wicket before Litton and Mehidy dominated the pace and spin by raising a superb century partnership and led Bangladesh's comeback.

“Such phases do come in test matches," Shahzad said, who shared the new ball with Hamza after Pakistan rested its frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the second test.

"We had one good session, but when the ball didn’t swing (after lunch), they put up a good partnership and we struggled.”

Pakistan had capitalized on four dropped catches to score 274 on Day 2 after the first day was washed out due to persistent rain in Rawalpindi.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad, center, celebrates with teammates after taking wickets of Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad, performs Sajdah, a prayer bow in gratitude to God, after taking his fifth wicket, during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Mirza, left, bumps his fist with Litton Das during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Mirza plays a shot during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Litton Das, right, and Mehidy Hasan Mirza run between the wickets during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Mirza, left, helps to Litton Das to get relief from a cramp during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Litton Das celebrates after scoring century during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Litton Das plays a shot during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Litton Das kisses his helmet after scoring century during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Mirza plays a shot during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto looks wickets as he is bowled out by Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Mir Hamza, center, celebrates with teammates after taking wicket of Bangladesh's Mominul Haque during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad bowls during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad, center, celebrates with teammates after taking wickets of Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad celebrates after taking wickets of Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto during the third day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now.”

The House approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.

“This is a good outcome for the country, ” Johnson said after the House vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”

President Joe Biden, who has played a less public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.

“There will be no government shutdown," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.

Trump's last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash the federal government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

“So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.

The drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It’s essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback — opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s debt ceiling demand.

But it's far smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.

House Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans.

“Who is in charge?” she asked during the debate.

Still, the House Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for the bill's passage. Almost three dozen conservative House Republicans voted against it.

“The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.

In the Senate, almost all the opposition came from the Republicans — except independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said Musk's interference was “not democracy, that's oligarchy.”

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.

The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump's not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.

“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted early in the morning on social media.

More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. Now Johnson will be on the hook to deliver.

“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — increasing his demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. "Without this, we should never make a deal."

Government workers had already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without paychecks.

Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.”

As the day dragged on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side won’t take the blame for it.”

At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path forward.

It wasn’t just the shutdown, but the speaker’s job on the line. The speaker’s election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.

Johnson said he spoke to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the “extraordinary challenges of this job.”

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Capitol is pictured in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., talks with reporters after attending a meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as the House works on a spending bill to avert a shutdown of the Federal Government, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

FILE - President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)