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- author, Sami Chaudhry
- position, Cricket analyst
Since the teams on foreign tours are not familiar with the conditions of the host countries, they rely on the data of the previous matches of the respective field to understand the mood of any venue. Bangladesh did the same.
Two days before the match, when Najamul Hasan Shantu’s squad landed at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for training, their spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed believed that contrary to Pakistan’s team selection and claims about the green top pitch, the pitch would be flat. The batting will be easy and the patience of the bowlers will be tested a few times.
But if Najamul Hasan Shantu had agreed with this idea, he should have won the toss and batted first so that his spinners could have been decisive in the fourth innings. But the mental calm of the Bangladeshi think tank was amazing to consider this pitch as favorable for the seamers and decided to bowl first.
Tasin Ahmed has been one of Bangladesh’s most successful bowlers in the shorter format, but his Test record is not impressive as he played only 13 matches in a seven-year long Test career. Although he is a part of this squad, he was not available for the first Test.
But even in the absence of comfort, Bangladesh had the flexibility to attack with four seamers. However, Najamul Hasan Shantu preferred the spin of Mehdi Hasan Meraj to the fourth seamer and this decision did not prove to be very effective for the visiting team.
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Along with the new ball, Shoraful Islam and Hasan Mahmood bowled well. The damp conditions and last night’s rain also made the pitch suitable for the seamers and the Bangladeshi pace attack rattled the Pakistani top order early on.
Despite picking up the key wickets of Abdullah Shafiq, Shan Masood and Babar Azam at very cheap prices, Shantu was outstanding as both pacers suffered exhaustion from their first spells in sweltering conditions, leaving them with no fast-bowling options to choose from. The young pacer could cope with Naheed Rana’s inexperience.
Mehdi Hasan Meraj’s first over broke the stalemate of the Pakistani batsmen and the scorecard was flowing in such a way that after that all the worries were removed from Pakistan’s head and cast a shadow on the Bangladeshi camp.
Saud Shakeel has already proved his worth in Test cricket and the added responsibility of vice-captaincy seems to have enhanced his skills. His partnership with Mohammad Rizwan robbed the tired Bangladeshi bowlers who were already in a tense situation due to the absence of the fourth seamer.
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The intensity and concentration with which these two batsmen pushed the Pakistani innings forward, at one stage there was a feeling that this Pakistani innings might never end. And then something like this was about to happen, but Shan Masood declared the innings as if he was being kind to the Bangladeshi bowlers.
But the concern will no longer be just Bangladesh’s that the Pakistani bowling attack, playing without a specialist spinner for the first time in nearly three decades, has little to no support for the seamers on the pitch available. In the first session of the first day, the little grass that was looking green, the second day’s hot sun has blown away its greenness.
Now the whole test is for the Pakistani pacers to see how well they can cope with a lifeless pitch and how disciplined and patient they can be during that time. Because if the Bangladeshi top order can maintain their resistance, the experienced middle order comprising of Mominul Haq, Shakibul Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim can force the Pakistani think tank to think about their team selection.
