Pakistan’s top batsman, Babar Azam, had a terrible beginning in the Test series against Bangladesh. On the first day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, he was dismissed without scoring any runs off just two balls. Babar came to bat at number 4 after captain Shan Masood was out, and he too was soon dismissed. Babar hit the ball straight to Shoriful Islam, who caught it, and Litton Das dived to secure the catch behind the wickets. This was Babar’s eighth time being dismissed without scoring in Test cricket, and it was also a first for him in a different way.
This was the first time Babar had been dismissed without scoring in a Test match in Pakistan. This continues a streak of poor performance for Babar, who has an average of less than 40 (37.41) in his last nine Test matches.
Babar doesn’t have to be concerned about the record for the most times a Pakistani player has been dismissed without scoring any runs, because his eight instances are far fewer than Danish Kaneria’s 25.
Even though he didn’t perform well this time, Babar remains the only player globally who is ranked among the top five in all three types of cricket formats. Right now, he is ranked third in Test matches, following Joe Root and Kane Williamson.
Even though Pakistan was struggling at 16/3 after Babar got out, they were able to make a comeback on a day when rain stopped the game from starting on time. Pakistan only lost one more wicket after that, finishing Day 1 with 158/4.
Young left-handed player Saim Ayub, who is only playing his second Test, showed why people are excited about him by scoring a tough 56 runs off 98 balls. Ayub got good support from Saud Shakeel, who ended the day not out on 57. Shakeel was joined by wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the day, who scored 24 runs in just 31 balls.
Fast bowlers Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud each took two wickets for Bangladesh, but they might be disappointed for not taking more advantage of their strong start. Bangladesh is trying to get their first win ever against Pakistan in Test cricket, with a record of 0 wins, 1 draw, and 12 losses so far.
