Rawalpindi, 31 August 2024: Pakistan’s three top-order batters scored half-centuries but the home side managed only 274 all-out on the second day of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Opener Saim Ayub top-scored with 58, captain Shan Masood chipped in with 57 and Salman Ali Agha contributed 54 as Pakistan’s innings, after being put into bat, folded in 85.1 overs, 16 minutes before stumps on an extended day.
When play ended, Bangladesh were 10 for no loss. Shadman Islam, dropped on the first ball in the fifth slip by Saud Shakeel off Mir Hamza, was on six, while Zakir Hasan had yet to open his account.
The wrecker of Pakistan’s batting was off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who registered his 10th five-fer in 45 Tests, finishing with figures of 22.1-2-61-5. He was ably supported by Taskin Ahmed, who celebrated his return to the Test side with figures of 17-2-57-3.
After Saim and Shan had stitched a 107-run second wicket partnership, Pakistan squandered the advantage by losing nine wickets for 167 runs.
Mehidy dismissed both Saim and Shan, and then added the scalps of Khurram Shahzad (12), Mohammad Ali (2) and Abrar Ahmed (9). Taskin, who had removed opener Abdullah Shafique on the sixth ball of the match, picked up the wickets of Saud Shakeel (16) and Salman Ali Agha.
Shakib Al Hasan pinned Babar Azam (31) in front of the wickets, while Nahid Rana completed the tally by accounting for Mohammad Rizwan (29) on one of the deliveries of the day.
Pakistan’s total got some respectability after Salman’s 95-ball innings that included three fours and two sixes. Salman, who had two unsuccessful reviews against him and also survived a dropped catch, had walked out to bat at the score of 179 for five and was the ninth batter out at the total of 274.
Shan was positive and aggressive in his stroke-selection, scoring 57 off 69 balls with two fours, while Saim’s 110-ball innings was a mixture of defence and aggression, as he hit four fours and two sixes. He perished to Mehidy while trying to hit the off-spinner out of the park, 15 runs after Mehidy had trapped Shan in front of the wickets.
Babar Azam faced 77 balls but was a shadow of his brilliance, managing only two fours and a few inside edges passing the leg-stump.
Scores in brief (day 2 of 5)
Pakistan 274 all-out, 85.1 overs (Saim Ayub 58, Shan Masood 57, Salman Ali Agha 54, Babar Azam 31, Mohammad Rizwan 29; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-61, Taskin Ahmed 3-57)
Bangladesh 10-0, two overs
