ISLAMABAD : Pakistan took control of the first Test match against Bangladesh on the second day, declaring their innings at 448 for six at the Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi.
Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel provided a 240-run fifth wicket partnership thus putting Pakistan in a commanding position on Thursday.
Rizwan, who resumed second day’s play at 24 in Pakistan’s 158 for four, returned unbeaten on a career-best 171, while Saud, who started the proceedings at 57, was dismissed after scoring 141. When play ended an on extended day, Bangladesh were 27 for no loss in 12 overs.
It was a third century each for Rizwan (31st Test) and Saud (11th Test) as the two batters sent the Bangladesh bowlers on a leather chase on a wicket that continued to assist the fast bowlers. For Rizwan, whose previous best was against South
Africa, it was a second century at this venue, while the third was in Karachi against Australia.
For Saud, it was his first century at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after his previous two were in Karachi (125 not out) and Galle (208 not out).
Rizwan’s 239-ball knock was punctuated with 11 fours and three sixes and Saud struck nine fours in a 261-ball innings. Rizwan was dropped twice during his innings, while Saud survived a close run-out before being stumped off Mehidy Hasan Miraz that gave wicket-keeper Litton Das his third scalp of the innings.
After the 240-run fifth wicket partnership that ended with Saud’s dismissal, Rizwan put on 44 runs for the sixth wicket with Salman Ali Agha (19) and an unbroken 50 runs for the seventh wicket with Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose 24-ball 29 not out included a four and two sixes.
Neither Hasan Mahmud nor Shoriful Islam managed to picked up any wickets on the second day in which Pakistan scored 290 runs in 72 overs and finished with two for 70 and two for 77, respectively.
Speaking after the end of play of Day 2, Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel reflected on his team’s performance in the ongoing Test match, saying, “I focused on playing attacking cricket on the first day, and as our partnership grew, who is doing better on the day continues with the form.”
Shakeel, who achieved the fastest 1000 runs in Test cricket, humbly stated, “I wasn’t aware of the milestone, my priority is Pakistan’s victory.”
He emphasized the importance of partnerships in both batting and bowling, saying, “Partnerships play a vital role in a team game.”
On being named vice-captain, Shakeel expressed honor and hoped for crowd support on the weekend. He acknowledged the need to adapt to situations and improve, saying, “I enjoy performing in difficult situations, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s batting coach David Hemp discussed the pitch conditions and said, “Reverse swing comes from the surface, but this pitch has more grass than usual in Pakistan, and the outfield is lush.”
Hemp emphasized the challenges ahead, saying, “Pakistan has four excellent seamers, so our approach will be to stay positive and focus on scoring.”
With plenty of cricket still to be played, Hemp prioritized batting on Friday and assessing the situation on Days 4 and 5.
Scores in brief (day 2 of 5): Pakistan (1st innings) 448-6d (Mohammad Rizwan 171 not out, Saud Shakeel 141, Saim Ayub 56, Shaheen Shah Afridi 29 not out; Hasan Mahmud 2-70, Shoriful Islam 2-77). Bangladesh (1st innings) 27-0.
