Pakistan vs Bangladesh First Day 2024 Highlights: Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub Lead Pakistan’s Comeback
Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub Help Pakistan Bounce Back on First Day
Bangladesh started strong with Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam giving them the upper hand early on, but Pakistan fought back thanks to a great fourth-wicket partnership.
Bangladesh won the toss, which could be a big deal, and made the most of the new ball in tough conditions. They knocked out three Pakistani batters quickly. But Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel stepped up, hitting half-centuries to help Pakistan finish the first day on level ground.
The pair teamed up to add 98 runs after Pakistan was struggling at 16 for 3. When bad light ended the day’s play, Pakistan was in a much better spot at 158 for 4. Ayub, playing just his second Test, handled the tricky early overs and then hit his first fifty. Shakeel, now the vice-captain, kept showing why he’s one of Pakistan’s top players. He reached 1000 Test runs in just 20 innings, matching Saeed Ahmed’s record from 1959.
Both Ayub and Shakeel were proactive against Bangladesh’s bowlers, often moving around in the crease to mess with the bowlers’ lengths and limit their movement. By the end of the day, Bangladesh managed to break their partnership when Hasan Mahmud got Ayub to drive at a ball that wasn’t quite right for the shot. It was Hasan’s second wicket, similar to his first, where he kept up the pressure with good lengths, forcing the batter to take a risky shot.
After tea, Bangladesh only got one more wicket, with Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan adding 44 unbeaten runs for the fifth wicket.
Ayub, Shakeel, and Rizwan might have shown a weak spot in Bangladesh’s attack. Unlike Pakistan, who picked four main seamers, Bangladesh chose three seamers and two spin-bowling allrounders.
Offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who came in during the 14th over with two left-handers at the crease, faced a tough counterattack, giving away 24 runs in four overs. He didn’t bowl poorly, but there wasn’t much help for spinners this early, so Ayub and Shakeel took advantage, sweeping him smartly.
It took until the 39th over for Bangladesh to bring in their second spinner, and Pakistan attacked Shakib Al Hasan too, with Rizwan sweeping him for back-to-back fours in his first over. Together, the two spinners gave up 36 runs in six overs.
Fast bowler Nahid Rana, chosen over the more experienced Khaled Ahmed, was also expensive. On a pitch where line and length were key, Bangladesh used Nahid as a pace enforcer, but it didn’t work out as he gave away 48 runs in 10 overs.
The other two quicks, however, had a good day, especially with the new ball. Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud kept bowling on a good length in conditions where the ball swung, seamed, and sometimes bounced off damp areas on the pitch. They beat the bat often in the early overs, and it didn’t take long for Bangladesh to get their first breakthrough.
Mahmud got the first wicket with a wide outswinger that Abdullah Shafique chased after a slow start. His drive turned into a slice, and Zakir Hasan made an amazing catch, diving full-length to his right at gully.
Left-arm bowler Shoriful tested both Ayub and Pakistan captain Shan Masood with his line just outside the off-stump, mostly swinging the ball away but occasionally getting it to come back in. One of these deliveries got Masood out, though it was a bit controversial. Masood pushed forward to defend, and the ball seemed to hit either his bat or pad before being caught by Litton Das. Although the on-field umpire didn’t give it out, Bangladesh reviewed, and the TV umpire ruled it out, even though there was a chance it just brushed the pad.
After that, Bangladesh got another lucky break when Babar Azam fell for a duck to a weak delivery, glancing a wayward inswinger from Shoriful down the leg side, where an acrobatic Litton Das caught it in his left glove.
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