Tigers shot out for 233
Bangladesh’s performance against Pakistan on the first day of the first Test was better in comparison to their showing against India in their previous Test just a couple of months ago as the visitors managed to reach 233 in their first innings before being bowled out in Rawalpindi yesterday.
At the end of Bangladesh’s innings which lasted 82.5 overs, the umpires called off play due to bad light.
Despite the improvement – they were bowled out for 106 and 195 by India in November 2019 -- there were repeats of mistakes such as throwing away wickets in crucial situations, inability to convert starts into big ones and a lack of partnerships, which kept Bangladesh on the back foot right from the start.
The only fifty of the innings from Mohammad Mithun and a few starts from Nazmul Hossain Shanto, skipper Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah Riyad and Liton Das helped Bangladesh past the 200 mark.
It was however a day for Pakistan’s pacers led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who tested the Tigers’ patience and ended up picking four wickets while fellow seamer Mohammad Abbas picked up two wickets for 19 runs from 17 miserly overs.
The day started on the wrong foot as, after Bangladesh were asked to bat first, both openers departed inside the first two overs of the day.
Debutant Saif Hasan departed for a duck while Tamim, coming off a record triple-hundred in the Bangladesh Cricket League, was trapped leg before for three off the bowling of Abbas on review after he was given not out by the umpire initially.
It was then Nazmul and skipper Mominul who repaired some of the damage and tackled the Pakistani bowlers pretty well, adding 59 runs for the third wicket.
Nazmul was compact while Mominul, after surviving a barrage of bouncers and playing out a few maiden overs, finally departed in rather disappointing fashion. The left-hander chased a ball outside off stump from Afridi and only managed to edge it to the keeper.
Nazmul looked comfortable until he too gifted away his wicket after scoring 44 when the left-hander was caught behind off the bowling of Abbas in the first over after lunch.
Mahmudullah too was guilty of the same error, chasing after a delivery, after scoring 25 but it was Mithun who was arguably the best Bangladesh batsman, displaying the patience and application that his top-order teammates failed to maintain.
Mithun and Liton then started to frustrate the Pakistani bowlers with a quickfire 54-run stand for the sixth wicket before left-arm spinner Harris Sohail gave the all-important breakthrough for the hosts by dismissing Liton for 33 as the Tigers went to tea on 164 for six.
The right-handed Mithun registered his second Test fifty alongside Taijul Islam, who provided great support from the other end in the post tea session.
The pair added a valuable 53-run seventh wicket stand before Taijul became Sohail’s second victim after scoring 24.
Top-scorer Mithun was eventually dismissed after scoring 63 off 140 balls, which included seven fours and a six, as Pakistan rattled through the Bangladesh tail with the second new ball to complete the job inside the first day.