Visiting Pakistan made a good start to the Dhaka Test scoring 161 runs losing just two wickets on day one before bad light stopped play in their second and final match of the series against hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Saturday.
Winning the toss Pakistan skipper Babar Azam opted to bat first.
Pakistan were unchanged from the first Test but Bangladesh made three changes in their playing XI.
Top-order batsman Mahmudul Hasan Joy made his international bow as the right-hander became the 99th player to make Test debut for Bangladesh.
Ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan was fit and came back to the starting XI while right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed was also picked for the Dhaka Test.
From the Chittagong Test, opener Saif Hasan was ruled out due to illness while middle-order batsman Yasir Rabbi and pacer Abu Jayed Chowdhury were dropped.
The weather was overcast since morning in the capital as partial floodlight was used since early hours on day one.
But Pakistan opener Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique were off to a confident start as both the openers looked solid in the first hour with good strike rate overall.
Pakistan crossed the 50-run mark in the opening stand during the 15th over.
Bangladesh had their first breakthrough in the 19th over through in-form left-arm spinner Taijul Islam.
Shafique (25) was clean bowled while trying to defend with a front foot defensive shot.
The ball was nicely angled and went through the gap between bat and pad.
It was a brilliant delivery from Taijul who bowled well with good line and length.
No 3 batsman Azhar Ali survived a close call of caught behind appeal against Taijul as TV replay showed slight murmur when Bangladesh took review.
But the umpire did not find any inclusive evidence to overturn the original decision of not out and thus Azhar survived.
Taijul struck again in the last ball of the 25th over as the prolific Abid (39) played on while trying to cut.
Pakistan went to lunch on 78 for two and it was an even session for both the teams in the first few hours of the Test match.
Later Babar and Azhar regrouped well and batted solidly to build an unbroken 91 run partnership till the end of the day’s play.
Pakistan did not lose any wicket in the second session as Babar picked up his fifty while Azhar also went close to half century.
Pakistan went to tea session on 161 for two with Babar batting on 60 off 99 deliveries and Azhar unbeaten on 36 off 112 balls.
Players came back to resume proceedings after tea but bad light intervened and eventually the day’s play was called off.