The first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi got underway today more than four hours late due to a wet outfield thanks to the overnight rain. But when the action began, it was all Bangladesh as they ran riot with the new ball and were also assisted with some luck. The visitors picked up three wickets, including that of Babar Azam for a second-ball duck, in less than nine overs to leave Pakistan reeling.
However, captain Shan Masood was on the wrong side of a decision made by third umpire Michael Gough as he was dismissed in the seventh over of the innings for just six runs. Shoriful Islam delivered a back-of-a-length delivery that jagged back catching the Pakistan skipper by surprise. He looked to prod the red cherry to the mid-off but missed as the ball passed through bat and pad.
Bangladesh players started celebrating a caught behind dismissal but the umpire Adrian Holdstock remained unmoved with the appeal. The visiting skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto reviewed the decision and the replays showed the ball was very close to the bat while there was also a flicker on the snickometer.
However, on the split view, it seemed clear that the ball hit the pad after passing the bat and hence, there didn't seem to be any edge. But the third umpire Gough reckoned there was enough evidence to overturn the on-field decision and adjudged Masood out who was furious. He argued with the umpire who told him to walk back to the dressing room.
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Masood's dismissal was soon followed by Babar Azam's who bagged his first-ever duck in Tests at home and Pakistan were left reeling at 16/3 much to the delight of the Bangladesh team. It remains to be seen if the hosts will be able to recover from the early blows and post a decent total on the board.
Playing XIs
Pakistan - Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali
Bangladesh - Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana
