Pak vs Ban: Key Moments from Pakistan vs Bangladesh 1st Test
Pak vs Ban: A Dominant Session for Pakistan
Lunch Pakistan 256 for 4 (Rizwan 89*, Shakeel 86*) vs Bangladesh. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan batted through a wicketless session and extended their overnight partnership from 44 to 142, easing Pakistan past the 250 mark as the Rawalpindi Test took an attritional turn on the morning of day two. Conditions were far more amenable to batting than they had been at the start of the match, when Bangladesh had made full use of the new ball and early moisture to reduce Pakistan to 16 for 3, and Shakeel and Rizwan were largely untroubled as they went to lunch with the three-figure mark in their sights.
Waiting Game for Bangladesh
For the most part, the session was all about waiting and hoping for Bangladesh, and their bowlers plugged away with defensive fields, waiting for an opening that didn't quite materialize. The one exception was a spell of fast, short-pitched bowling from Nahid Rana, where he occasionally made the batters look awkward but at a cost: his five overs in the morning went for 32 runs.
- Rizwan scored most of the runs, adding 65 off 100 balls.
- Shakeel had a quieter scoring rate, contributing 32 off 77 in the same period.
- By lunch, Rizwan had overtaken Shakeel having started the day 33 runs behind.
Bangladesh's Bowling Efforts
For all their lack of success, Bangladesh will be aware that the scorecard still says Pakistan are 256 for 4 and are still some way from a safe first-innings total. Bangladesh will also be pleased with the efforts of their spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who put a difficult first day behind them and performed an admirable holding job. Much of their day-one despair had been related to Pakistan's clinical use of the sweep. They responded by attacking the stumps far more, and bowling a touch quicker too, with protection in the deep square on the leg side.
- Shakib bowled 11 overs in the morning and conceded just 23 runs.
- Mehidy bowled four overs and conceded eight runs.
This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.