Pakistan showcased resilience on the opening day of the primary Take a look at in opposition to Bangladesh, recovering from early setbacks due to the efforts of Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub. The match, going down in Rawalpindi, noticed Pakistan initially battle at 16 for 3 earlier than the duo led a spirited comeback.
Early struggles for Pakistan
Bangladesh’s right-arm paceman Hasan Mahmud made a right away influence after profitable the toss and opting to bowl first, taking the wicket of Abdullah Shafique in his second over. The state of affairs for Pakistan worsened when left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam struck twice in fast succession. He first dismissed the house crew’s captain Shan Masood for simply six runs after which despatched star batter Babar Azam again to the pavilion for a duck.
Restoration led by Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel
Regardless of the early wickets, Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel steadied Pakistan’s first innings with a strong fourth-wicket partnership. The pair added 65 runs collectively, with Ayub remaining unbeaten on 42 and Shakeel on 28 on the tea interval. Their partnership was essential in serving to Pakistan get well from the preliminary onslaught, as they navigated the difficult situations of a greenish pitch.
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After the tea break, each batters continued to construct their innings, with Ayub reaching his maiden Take a look at fifty. The duo’s efforts have been instrumental in lifting Pakistan’s rating above 100 because the hosts went into stumps at 158 for 4, with Shakeel additionally scoring his half-century.
After the dismissal of Ayub (56 off 98), Shakeel added an unbroken 44-run stand with Mohammed Rizwan. Each remained unbeaten on 57 and 24, respectively.
Context of the match
This Take a look at sequence types a part of the World Take a look at Championship, with Pakistan at present sitting sixth within the standings and Bangladesh in eighth. The match is critical not just for the groups’ standings but in addition for the context of cricket in Bangladesh, which has confronted political unrest affecting their preparations.
