Pakistan Faces Early Challenges Against Bangladesh's Powerful Bowling Attack

Saim Ayub highlights the challenges posed by Bangladesh bowlers in Rawalpindi Test

Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel lead Pakistan's recovery after a challenging start against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Early on Day 1 of the opening Test in Rawalpindi, Pakistan found itself on the back foot as Bangladesh's bowlers seized on ideal conditions. After losing three vital wickets in the first 8.2 overs, Pakistan's Saim Ayub acknowledged the challenges the squad faced leaving the hosts reeling at 16 for 3.

Hasan Mahmud of Bangladesh struck first, dismissing Abdullah Shafique, therefore establishing the tone for a dominant spell from the visitors. Then Shoriful Islam added to Pakistan's woes by quickly eliminating Shan Masood and captain Babar Azam, therefore subjecting Pakistan to great pressure.

Looking back on the day's events, Saim Ayub said Bangladesh's bowlers had an unrelenting attitude. "Bangladesh bowled really well in the beginning. It was not easy for us and their bowlers did not give us enough margins. We had to wait for the tempo to be in our favor and then made a comeback,"

Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel combined a strong alliance that gave Pakistan some much-needed stability despite the challenging start. With their 98-run for the third wicket off 22.5 overs, Pakistan was greatly guided to a more respectable position and ended the day at 158 for 4 in 41 overs.

Emphasizing the need of partnerships in the context of the game, the 22-year-old Saim, who achieved his first Test fifty with a composed 56 runs, He underlined the need of creating solid alliances to thrive in the game since the circumstances made it difficult for new batters to settle in. "We can’t take red-ball cricket lightly. We only tried to build our partnership. New batters will find it tough to adjust in these conditions. But ours and other partnerships will be key for us in the match," Saim said.

Furthermore, vital for Pakistan's recovery was Saud Shakeel. Along with his bat, he made history by being the joint-fastest Pakistan batsman to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket, therefore matching a 65-year-old record. He remained unbeaten on 57 off 92 balls. Along with Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, he gave further help with an unbeaten 24, therefore assuring Pakistan had ended the day with a fighting chance to increase on their total over the next days.