Khurram Shahzad praised Pakistan’s red-ball coach, Jason Gillespie, following his impressive performance against Bangladesh in the second Test in Rawalpindi. Shahzad dominated the opposing team’s batting lineup, achieving figures of 21-3-90-6. The fast bowler, who throws with his right arm, took the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, earning his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Thanks to his strong start with the new ball, Pakistan managed to put Bangladesh in a difficult position at 26 for six in 11.3 overs. The 24-year-old Shahzad, who had already taken two wickets in the first Test, expressed gratitude to Gillespie for encouraging him and maintaining a positive attitude.
“Jason Gillespie deserves credit for encouraging me. He has kept my spirits high and supported me,” Shahzad mentioned during the press conference.
Despite this, Pakistan couldn’t keep the pressure on the Bangladesh batsmen. A 165-run partnership between Miraz and Litton Das for the seventh wicket allowed the Tigers to make a comeback. Mehidy scored 78 runs, while Litton managed 138 runs from 228 balls, including 13 fours and four sixes.
Litton also had a significant 69-run partnership with Hasan Mahmud, which helped Bangladesh reduce the deficit to 12 runs in their first innings. Shahzad noted that Pakistan gave the visitors a chance to recover by allowing partnerships to form.
“The pitch was a bit different, offering more assistance. Such situations happen in the game. We got early wickets, but sadly, they managed a strong partnership,” Shahzad commented.
Shahzad, who first played a major cricket game last year against Australia in Perth, also mentioned his dream of playing for Pakistan in these important matches.
“I hope to play in these big games for as long as I can and help Pakistan win lots of matches,” Shahzad said.
At the end of the third day’s play, Pakistan was ahead by 21 runs and still had eight chances to get more points. Hasan Mahmud took the points from Abdullah Shafique and Shahzad, putting pressure on Pakistan.
