RAWALPINDI Pakistani bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi had a fine spell on the first day of the Test against Bangladesh as he bagged four wickets for 53 runs in 21.5 overs at the Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi. Pakistan won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat first on a sunny day at Pindi Stadium on Friday but Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas didn’t let Bangladeshi batsmen to settle down and clicked early wickets putting the Tigers under-pressure. Afridi struck on the third ball (0.3 over) of the game dismissing debutante Saif Hassan who was caught out on a duck. Bangladesh lost its second opener Tamim Iqbal who was trapped leg before by Mohammad Abbas for just three in the very next over (1.4). A 59-run partnership was put on by Najmul Hossain Shanto and skipper Mominul Haque on the third wicket before the latter was caught behind in the 21.5 over off Shaheen’s bowling for 30. Najmul Hossain (44) was dismissed by Abbas in the 33.6 over when he was just 6 runs short for his half century. He was trying to play the ball away from the body, looking to flay behind point but got a thin edge and was taken by Muhammad Rizwan. Shaheen Afridi smacked again when he took his third wicket, sending Mahmudullah to the pavilion on 25 in the 40.3 over. He managed to get a thick edge of Mahmudullah when Asad Shafiq moved instinctively and put both his hands out in diving to his right to pluck a stunner. Haris Sohail also did not lag behind in the bowling line up and grabbed two wickets of Liton Das on 33 on a leg before in the 55.3 over and Taijul Islam 24 in the 78.5 over, respectively. Shaheen Afridi bagged his fourth wicket of Rubel Hossain on 1 in the 80.6 over while Naseem Shah got his only but the most wanted wicket of Mohammad Mithun in the 81.2 over who scored 63 runs including seven 4s and a six. Abu Jayed was run out by Abbas in the 82.5 over restricting Bangladesh to a total of 233 in their first innings. Pakistan would start its innings on Saturday. The Pindi Stadium saw fans chanting slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and Welcome Bangladesh. Three former captains Javed Burki, Mushtaq Mohammad and Majid Khan also attended the opening day’s play at the Stadium. The Pindi Stadium last hosted a Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka which ended in draw. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi on Friday said that his hard work was paying dividends as his bowling was improving with each passing day. “I’m working hard with the support of bowling coach, Waqar Younis and my elder brother IjazAfridi. I’m learning with each passing day and (as a result) my bowling has improved a lot,” he told media at a post day press conference. The 19-year-old, who claimed four wickets for 53 runs in 21.5 overs said that in every match he tried to break his previous record. “The beauty of the Test cricket is that you can’t pick up five or six wickets at once. I always try to grab wickets by bowling at a certain length with consistency.” He said Mohammad Abbas was a senior bowler, who was guiding both him and Naseem Shah. “Abbas is a seasoned bowlers. Whereas I and Naseem have just started playing Test cricket. We closely watch where he bowls and then try to follow him.” Afridi said the wicket at Pindi stadium was supporting fast bowlers, especially in the morning session. He said Pakistan were a better side and they would be trying to emerge victorious in the match.—APP
