Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel bailed out Pakistan after a slow start to day one of their Test against Bangladesh. (Highlights | Streaming | More Cricket News)
Rain 𝄹limited play to just one se🐭ssion at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but Pakistan eventually made their time with the bat count as they reached 158-4 on Wednesday.
It was a poor start as Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for just two runs before Shoriful Islam (2-30) took bꦕoth Shan Masood (6) and Bab𒊎ar Azam (0) as Pakistan fell to 16-3.
However, Ayub and Shak🧜eel soon found their footing, addin💫g 98 runs as a partnership before the former was finally caught for 56.
Shakeel reached 57 not out and Mohammad Rizwan reached 24 not out as Pakistan dragged themselves into a much stronger position before bad light brought pl▨ay to a close for the day.
Data Debrief: Slow and steady
Since making his debut in October 2016, Azam has been dismissed for a duck eight times in men's Tests; only Azhar Ali𒆙 (11) among Pakistani batters has been dismissed more often f♐or a duck during the same period.
However, Shakeel's introduction soon turned the tide, and he became their joint-quickest batter to reach 1000 Test ru🍨ns, getting there in his 20th innings a🌺nd matching Saeed Ahmed's record from 1959.