1st Test
Day-3 Morning Session Highlights:
Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque has spearhead Bangladesh’s resistance with the bat
At The Lunch of Day-3:
Pakistan scored 448/6 decl. (1st Innings), where as Bangladesh scored 134/2 (1st Innings).
So, finally Pakistan lead by 314 runs.
Contrasting innings from Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque anchored Bangladesh’s fightback during a challenging three-hour first session on Day 3 of the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Islam’s patient 53 not out off 123 balls was well-complemented by Mominul’s fluent 45* off 66 deliveries, as the duo added 81 runs for the third wicket, guiding Bangladesh to 134/2 at Lunch.
Despite Pakistan’s pace-heavy attack, which bowled 36 overs in the session, Bangladesh managed to score 107 runs at a rate of just under three an over.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah started the day with tight, probing lines, consistently testing the edges of the Bangladesh openers.
Naseem eventually broke through, dismissing Zakir Hasan for 20, with a sharp catch by Mohammad Rizwan off an edge, ending a steady 31-run opening stand that lasted 17 overs.
Naseem continued to trouble Najmul Hossain Shanto with a mix of short and full-pitched deliveries, keeping the Bangladesh skipper under constant pressure.
As a result, Bangladesh could only manage 12 runs in the first 12 overs of the day.
After the drinks break, Pakistan lost a review when Khurram Shahzad’s appeal for LBW against Najmul was overturned, with replays showing the ball had pitched outside leg stump.
Najmul responded with boundaries off Shahzad in consecutive overs but soon fell for 16 when Shahzad bowled a delivery that nipped back sharply, breaching his defense and hitting the stumps.
With Bangladesh at 53/2, Mominul Haque joined Shadman Islam, and together they began the recovery with a cautious yet effective partnership.
Batting conditions were tough due to the heat and the extended session, but the Bangladesh pair persevered, capitalizing when the Pakistan attack began to tire.
Mominul’s first boundary came from a deft shot off Mohammad Ali, guiding the ball wide of gully.
Islam, who had been in a shell, gradually found his rhythm.
After hitting his first boundary off his 17th ball on Day 2, his next four came off his 94th ball.
Having progressed to 29 off 93 balls, he then struck three boundaries in quick succession, while Mominul showcased his class with a stylish cover drive for four off Shaheen.
The partnership helped Bangladesh cross the 100-run mark in the 40th over, bringing up a well-deserved half-century stand.
With Pakistan lacking frontline spin options, Agha Salman bowled a few overs and nearly induced a mistake from Mominul, who drove at a ball that fell just short of backward point.
Mominul then struck two boundaries off Naseem, and Islam brought up his fifty with a boundary off the last ball before Lunch, capping off a resilient session for Bangladesh.
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