RAWALPINDI: Opening batsman Abid Ali became the only player to score hundreds on both Test and One-day International debuts as Pakistan´s first home match in Test cricket since the 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team ended in a tame draw against the same opponents Sunday.
The 32-year-old opener hit paceman Vishwa Fernando for a boundary and then drove him through cover for two runs to complete his century in 267 minutes with 11 boundaries.
Though stylish batsman Babar Azam knocked his third Test century, 102 not out, the day belonged to Abid, who became the 12th Pakistani batsman, and 106th overall to score a century on debut in Test cricket.
The first batsman to score a century on his Test debut was Charles Bannerman of Australia who achieved the feat in the very first match of the Test cricket history, played against England at Melbourne in March 1877.
Overall, 106 players have so far scored a hundred on their Test debut, two of them – Lawrence Rowe of West Indies and Yasir Hameed of Pakistan – made centuries in both innings of their debut Tests.
Out of 106 players hitting hundreds on their Test debut, 20 were each from Australia and England, 15 from India, 13 from West Indies, 12 from Pakistan,11 from New Zealand, six from South Africa, three each from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, two from Zimbabwe and one from Ireland.
The 12 Pakistanis who achieved this feat are: (in chronological order) Khalid Ibadulla, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Mohammad Wasim, Ali Naqvi, Azhar Mahmood, Younis Khan, Taufiq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal and Abid Ali.
Abid Ali has scored his debut ton for Pakistan after 10 years, since Akmal’s 129 against New Zealand at Dunedin in November 2009.
He is also one of the 15 batsmen to score a hundred on their ODI debut. He made 112 against Australia in Dubai in March this year.
Abid´s feat spiced up the historic Test, the first in Pakistan since the 2009 attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus left international cricket suspended in the country.