Islamabad: Despite early fall wickets, Pakistan managed to score 158 runs in the delayed Test against Bangladesh due to wet outfield at the Pindi Stadium on Wednesday.
Pakistan lost three main key players in nine overs after put into bat but Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel took Pakistan out of trouble by hitting half-centuries helping Green-shirts to finish 158 for four in 41 overs on a shortened opening day of the first Test.
Ayub went on to score his maiden Test half-century (56 runs) on 98 balls including four 4s and a six while Shakeel remained unbeaten on 57 runs providing a 98-run fourth-wicket partnership. The rescue act between the two southpaws was spread on either side of the tea interval as they batted together for 22.5 overs.
Pacers Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud did the magic for Bangladesh as they bagged two wickets each for 30 and 33 runs, respectively. Bangladesh bowlers reduced Pakistan to 16-3 in 8.2 overs. Abdullah Shafique was the first to depart as he was caught at gully against Hasan Mahmud in the fourth over.
Skipper Shan Masood hit one boundary during his 11-ball stay before falling prey to Shoriful Islam for six runs in the seventh over. Babar Azam was dismissed in the ninth over falling for a two-ball duck off the bowling of Shoriful with Litton Das taking his second catch of the innings.
Saud Shakeel (57 not out, 92b, 5x4s) and Mohammad Rizwan (24 not out, 31b, 2x4s) will stand guard for Pakistan at the beginning of day two.
Saud contributed 42 runs in the stand with Saim before stitching an unbeaten 44-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan till the close of play.
Saud who is also Pakistan’s Test vice-captain also completed 1,000 runs in the longest format during his first innings in the game and became the joint-fastest Pakistani batter to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket, achieving this feat in just 20 innings. Meanwhile so far, Pakistan has played 13 Tests against Bangladesh, winning 12 and drawing one.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub spoke after the end of Day 1, about his batting approach in the ongoing Test match against Bangladesh, saying, “My goal was to prolong my innings, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.”
Saim acknowledged the challenging conditions early on but credited his partnership with Saud for making batting easier. “We had a good partnership, and I enjoy batting with everyone,” he said.
Regarding the unpredictable nature of Test cricket, Saim noted, “The behavior of the wickets changes, and sometimes the red ball favors us, while other times it doesn’t. It’s part of the game.”
Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud praised his team’s bowling efforts and said, “We tried to bowl accurately on our length, and the pitch will help seamers if it becomes harder.”
Hasan emphasized the importance of taking quick wickets, stating, “We’ll come up with a plan to take Pakistan out as quickly as possible.”
He also commended his team’s fielding, saying, “The boys are excellent in the field, taking wonderful catches. It’s great to get help from your fielders.”
Scores in brief: Pakistan 158-4, 41 overs (Saud Shakeel 57 not out, Saim Ayub 56, Mohammad Rizwan 24 not out; Shoriful Islam 2-30, Hasan Mahmud 2-33).
