Azan’s Resilience and Near-Century
Opening the innings, the 21-year-old Azan Awais survived an early scare when a delivery from Nahid Rana struck him on the helmet.
After receiving medical attention, the left-hander shifted gears and dominated the likes of Nahid and Taskin Ahmed.
By the end of the day’s play, Azan remained unbeaten on 85 off 133 balls, decorated with 12 boundaries. He is now just 15 runs away from a historic debut century.
The Partnership
Azan found a solid partner in fellow debutant Abdullah Fazal. The two stitched together an unbeaten 73-run stand for the second wicket. Fazal is also eyeing a debut milestone, ending the day on 37 off 78 balls*.
Earlier, Pakistan’s opening pair of Azan and the experienced Imam-ul-Haq provided a solid foundation with a 106-run partnership.
Bangladesh’s solitary breakthrough came via Mehdi Hasan Miraz, who trapped Imam (45) LBW. Despite a review, the decision stood. Pakistan ended the day at 179/1, trailing Bangladesh by 234 runs.
Bangladesh’s Batting Collapse
Earlier in the morning, Bangladesh resumed their first innings at 301/4 but suffered a dramatic collapse. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side lost their final 6 wickets for just 75 runs.
Although Mushfiqur Rahim (71) and Litton Das (33) started steadily, Shaheen Shah Afridi broke through by cleaning up Mushfiqur just as he looked set for a ton.
A late cameo by Taskin Ahmed, who smashed 28 runs at a strike rate of 147.36, helped Bangladesh reach a total of 413.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas was the pick of the bowlers, claiming his 6th career five-wicket haul (5/92).