Mirpur: Pakistan marked a unique milestone in their red-ball history by fielding an extraordinary combination in the opening Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday.
In their 468th Test match, the Pakistan team underlined a rare statistical event in their longest Test cricket journey.
Along with experienced players Imam-ul-Haq, captain Shaun Masood and vice-captain Saud Shakeel, the left-hand side includes Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal.
Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and off-spinner Noman Ali further contributed to the left-arm representation.
Pakistan went into the inaugural Test with a revamped top order, giving opportunities to several young players as part of their build-up for the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
Star batsman Babar was left out of Assam’s playing XI due to a left knee injury ahead of the match.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Shaheen Shah Afridi opener Mahmud Hasan Joy was dismissed for 8 with 18 runs.
The pressure intensified when Hasan Ali dismissed Shadman Islam for 13 in his first over as Bangladesh struggled to 31-2 in the morning session.
However, the hosts responded with resilience as skipper Najmul Hossain Santo and Mominul Haq steadied the innings.
The experienced pair absorbed the early pressure and gradually swung the momentum back in Bangladesh’s favour, stringing together an unbeaten partnership for the third wicket, a disciplined stand to ease the pressure ahead of the lunch break.
Pakistan’s playing XI for the first Bangladesh Test: Shaan Masood (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Fazal, Azan Awais, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan.