Debutant Azan Awais struck a maiden Test century to headline Pakistan’s determined batting effort on day three of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.
Resuming the day on 179 for one in reply to Bangladesh’s 413, Pakistan were bowled out for 386 in 100.3 overs, conceding a first-innings lead of 27 runs. The hosts then moved to seven without loss in 1.5 overs before stumps were called early because of bad light.
The third day belonged largely to 21-year-old Azan, who displayed impressive temperament and technique in his first Test appearance. The left-hander converted his overnight 85 into a memorable century, reaching the three-figure mark off 153 balls with 14 fours. He became the 14th Pakistan Test batter to score a century in his first Test.
Azan’s 103-run knock laid the foundation for Pakistan’s strong reply after he had added a valuable 104-run second-wicket partnership with fellow debutant Abdullah Fazal, who contributed a solid 60.
Pakistan suffered a mini-collapse after Azan’s dismissal at 210 for two, slipping to 230 for five. However, Salman Ali Agha and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan revived the innings with a brisk 123-run sixth-wicket stand.
Salman scored an enterprising 58 off 94 balls, striking six fours and a six, while Rizwan added a fluent 59 from 79 deliveries hitting eight boundaries. Their counterattacking partnership brought Pakistan within touching distance of Bangladesh’s first-innings total.
Tea was taken early due to gloomy weather conditions after Pakistan had reached 349 for six in 89.4 overs. Persistent rain then delayed the start of the third session before play eventually resumed later in the evening.
Bangladesh eventually wrapped up the innings shortly after resumption, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz returning figures of five for 102 and Taijul Islam taking two wickets.
Pakistan’s pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Abbas then shared the new ball when Bangladesh began their second innings, but fading light forced the umpires to end play early with the hosts leading by 34 runs.
Scores in brief:
Day 3 of 5
Bangladesh 413 all out, 117.1 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 101, Mominul Haque 91, Mushfiqur Rahim 71; Mohammad Abbas 5-92, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-113) and 7-0, 1.5 overs
Pakistan 386 all out, 100.3 overs (Azan Awais 103, Abdullah Fazal 60, Mohammad Rizwan 59, Salman Ali Agha 58; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-102)
