By: LakshmiPS
Lanky paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi led a spirited Pakistan attack to keep Bangladesh down to 172-6 at tea on the opening day of the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Shaheen (3-45) and Mohammad Abbas (2-19) destroyed Bangladesh who were put in to bat by Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali on a greenish-yellow pitch at the Rawalpindi stadium.
Just before tea, part-time spinner Haris Sohail broke a defiant 54-run stand between Liton Das (33) and Mohammad Mithun (30 not out) to keep the home team’s domination.
Sohail had dropped Mithun off a luckless Yasir Shah at wide second slip when the batsman was 22 but compensated the lapse with a wicket.
At the break Mithun was batting with Taijul Islam, who was on one.
The extended two-and-a-half hour first session due to Friday prayers truly belonged to Pakistan as they kept Bangladesh down to 95-3 by lunch.
Shaheen, 19, removed debutant Saif Hassan (nought) off the third ball of the match and then had skipper Mominul Haque (30) to get Pakistan vital breakthroughs.
Abbas trapped opener Tamim Iqbal with the tenth ball of the match for three to leave Bangladesh tottering at 3-2.
Iqbal, who last Sunday smashed Bangladesh’s highest first-class score with 334 not out in a domestic match, tried to play across but missed the ball.
Umpire Nigel Llong of England had rejected the appeal but Pakistan wisely had it reviewed and the replay showed the ball hitting the stumps.
Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto (top scorer with 44) revived the innings during their third wicket stand of 59 before Haque miscued a drive and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan off Shaheen.
Haque smashed five crisp boundaries during his confident knock.
Shanto, whose previous best of 18 was against New Zealand in 2017, fell soon after lunch when he edged one from Abbas to Rizwan. He hit six boundaries.
Mahmudullah, who was shaping well with four boundaries in his 25, played a rash shot off Shaheen and was caught brilliantly at gulley by a leaping Asad Shafiq.
(AFP)
