Rizwan, Saud lift Pakistan with big tons

RAWALPINDI: Mohammad Rizwan (171 not out) and Saud Shakil (141) struck contrasting hundreds to leave Bangladesh in survival mode at the close of the second day’s play of the World Test Championship match here at the Pindi Stadium Thursday.

The two built on the overnight total to put up a resolute 240 stand for the fifth wicket as Pakistan declared at 448-6. The visitors survived 12 overs, reaching 27 for no loss at the stumps.

The second day belonged to the two gutsy batsmen, who used the soft wicket well to hit their third century each in Test cricket. While Saud played more composed innings, setting a platform for a big total, Rizwan’s aggressive knock achieved the total that could put Bangladesh under pressure during the rest of the Test.

Saud who the other day reached 1,000 runs (the fastest by a Pakistani batsman) in his 20th innings, continued in the same vein where he left off on the opening day. Rizwan, who resumed the second day’s play at 24 not out in Pakistan’s 158-4, returned unbeaten on a career-best 171, while Saud, who started the proceedings at 57 not out, was dismissed after scoring 141.

Rizwan and Saud sent Bangladesh bowlers on a leather hunt on a wicket that was increasingly getting softer. Bangladesh bowlers especially seamers did not follow a proper line and length to make the best use of grass available on the wicket. They were often seen wayward in their direction, a reality that was also admitted by Saud.

“They could have achieved something out of wicket the Bangladesh pace bowlers used the wicket well. They often looked wayward and too short giving good opportunity to batsmen to adjust,” Saud said.

For Rizwan, whose previous best was against South Africa, it was a second century at this venue, while the third was in Karachi against Australia. For Saud, it was his first century at the Pindi Stadium after his previous two were scored in Karachi (125 not out) and in Galle (208 not out).

Rizwan’s 239-ball knock was punctuated with 11 fours and three sixes and Saud struck nine fours in a 261-ball innings. Rizwan got a lucky break when on 89 Litton Das floored a sharp chance down the leg off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Saud survived a close run-out before being stumped off Mehidy giving wicket-keeper Litton Das his third scalp of the innings. After the 240-run fifth-wicket partnership that ended with Saud’s dismissal, Rizwan put on 44 runs for the sixth wicket with Salman Ali Agha (19) and an unbroken 50 runs for the seventh wicket with Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose 24-ball 29 not out included four and two sixes.

It was a tough day for Bangladesh seamers as both main bowlers Hasan Mahmud nor Shoriful Islam failed to get a wicket on the second day leaving it to spinners Mehidy (1-80) and Shakib Al Hasan (1-100) to pick one wicket each.

Bangladesh won the toss

Pakistan 1st Innings

Shafique c Zakir b Hasan 2

Ayub c Mehidy b Hasan 56

Masood (c) c Litton b Shoriful 6

Azam c Litton b Shoriful 0

Shakeel st Litton b Mehidy 141

Rizwan not out 171

Salman c Mehidy b Shakib 19

Afridi not out 29

Extras: (b 12, lb 4, nb 7, w 1) 24

Total: 113 Ov .448/6 dec

Did not bat: Naseem Shah, Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-14, 3-16, 4-114, 5-354, 6-398

Bowling: Shoriful Islam 23-4-77-2, Hasan Mahmud 23-4-70-2, Nahid

Rana 19-0-105-0, Mehidy Hasan

Miraz 21-1-80-1, Shakib Al Hasan 27-3-100-1

Bangladesh 1st Innings

Islam not out 12

Hasan not out 11

Extras: (lb 4) 4

Total: 12 Ov (RR: 2.25) 27/0

Yet to bat: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana

Bowling: Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-1-8-0, Naseem Shah 5-1-7-0, Khurram Shahzad 3-0-8-0

Umpires: Adrian Holdstock, Richard Kettleborough