Babar, Shan tons batter Bangladesh
Centuries from Shan Masood and Babar Azam made sure Pakistan finished the day on 342-3 with a lead of 109 runs and still seven wickets in hand.
It was another day of dominance from Pakistan on day two in the first Test against a hapless Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
Centuries from Shan Masood and Babar Azam made sure Pakistan finished the day on 342-3 with a lead of 109 runs and still seven wickets in hand.
It was Babar's third century in the last four innings and the right-handed batsman really has started to stamp his name as one of the top batsmen in world cricket.
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With three days still left, Pakistan will be looking to bat only once and wrap up the Test within four days.
For Bangladesh, the questions will continued to be asked about their Test credentials and their progress in Test cricket, especially away from home.
Not to mention, the team is without Shakib Al Hasan, who is banned by the ICC from all forms of cricket for at least a year and Mushfiqur Rahim, who opted out of the tour citing family reasons.
The visitors however started the day brightly as opener Abid Ali was dismissed for a duck by Abu Jayed in the second over by a delivery that zipped and bounced more than expected.
The pitch had gotten visibly faster and the pacers, if they had maintained their discipline, would have managed more wickets.
But Ebadat Hossain and Rubel Hossain were both wayward and leaked runs from the other end and that released whatever pressure Jayed had created.
The breakthrough however came just at the stroke of lunch as Pakistan captain Azhar Ali played a loose shot to a length delivery by Abu Jayed and was dismissed for 34.
Bangladesh would have been pleased to have taken two wickets with Pakistan not yet scoring 100 runs but in the second session Shan and Babar dominated proceedings.
It was fluent and aggressive batting by Pakistan against a Bangladesh bowling that was unplanned and harmless.
Shan soon brought up his century off 160 balls and it was an innings glittered with 11 pristine boundaries.
But as is the case a lot of times, after a batsman reaches a landmark and loses a bit of concentration, Shan missed a full and innocuous delivery by Taijul Islam and was bowled with the score at 205.
Soon after Tea, Babar and Asad Shafiq took charge to whittle out the deficit and go on the ascendency further as Babar brought up his century.
Babar and Asad made sure no further wickets were lost as both batsman saw off a deflated and clueless Bangladesh bowling at the end of the day.
