In the opening day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh’s left-arm paceman Shoriful Islam made an impact by taking two wickets in four balls, leaving Pakistan at 158-4 amidst rain delays.
23-year-old Shoriful dismissed Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood for six and star batter Babar Azam for a two-ball duck. Despite their setbacks, Pakistan managed a recovery with Saim Ayub on 56 not out and Saud Shakeel on 57, building a partnership of 113 runs.
Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto chose to field first after winning the toss, and Pakistan found themselves struggling at 16-3, thanks to Shoriful’s new-ball partner Hasan Mahmud.
The rain-interrupted day saw minimal play before lunch, with a significant loss of action due to wet outfield patches. The weather forecast for the remaining days of the match is not promising, with rain and bad light expected.
In terms of team composition, Pakistan opted for an all-pace attack with no frontline spinner, while Bangladesh included three pacers and two spinners. All-rounder Aamer Jamal was omitted for the first Test of the two-match series.
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The second Test, originally scheduled for Karachi, has been relocated to Rawalpindi, beginning on August 30.
Team Lineups:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Adrian Holdstock (RSA)
TV umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
