Mohammad Abbas insists Pakistan were right to give their quicks first use of a green-tinged Mirpur pitch, even though Bangladesh closed day one on a commanding 301 for four.
“We were a bit unlucky as well that there were plays and misses going on all day,” the 36-year-old seamer said, arguing that the hosts would have made the same decision had the toss fallen their way.
The grass on top looked inviting. Shan Masood saw three frontline seamers in each XI, noted morning humidity, and didn’t hesitate. Early signs backed him up. Shaheen Shah Afridi thudded one through Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s gate, Hasan Ali winkled out Shadman Islam, and Bangladesh were 47 for two. From there, the surface settled and so, crucially, did the batters.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, compact and decisive, motored to a polished hundred, while Mominul Haque and Tawhid Hridoy each passed fifty. Pakistan’s attack, despite moments of control, leaked 32 extras – eight of them no-balls – and the locals rolled to three hundred shortly before the light closed in.
“I’m not saying it’s a very good batting track, it is a very good cricketing pitch,” Abbas explained. “I don’t think it was a frustrating day. At some points we didn’t bowl well, but at other points we really bowled well.” He called the conditions “hard work”, pointing to oppressive heat and a strip that dried quickly beneath the grass.
The right-armer himself began tidily, eight overs for 13, but watched Shaheen and left-arm spinner Noman Ali disappear for boundaries. Only on the stroke of tea did he strike, trapping Shanto lbw with an inswinger that survived the DRS check. “I went for the inswinger on that ball,” he said. “Sometimes the ball was swinging, and other times it wasn’t. That’s why I’m saying it was a very good track. The umpire thought there was an inside edge … but from my angle I knew it hadn’t hit bat.”
Control wavered later. Abbas over-stepped twice, Noman six times, one of which cost Pakistan a review on a tight lbw call. “I bowled two no-balls. Sometimes when you put in a bit of extra effort it can happen,” Abbas shrugged. “They must have been close, but they shouldn’t have happened.”
Even so, the visitors sense an opening. A hard, 12-over-old second new ball awaits in the morning. The lower order is still fresh to the crease. “There is grass but underneath is very dry,” Abbas noted. “[We’ve got] a new ball … in our hands. We’ll come tomorrow and try to take early wickets and finish [their innings] as soon as possible.”
Analysis
Opting to field first in Asia remains rare, yet recent numbers suggest advantages in Mirpur for teams striking early before spin takes over. Pakistan followed that logic; their issue was not strategy but execution. Shaheen’s pace dipped after his initial burst, Hasan searched for rhythm, and Noman, on debut overseas, misjudged his lengths. Bangladesh, by contrast, respected the new ball then capitalised, threading gaps square of the wicket as the seam flattened.
Pakistan now need swift inroads to keep the target manageable. Anything above 400 and the decision to bowl could begin to look reckless rather than brave. Still, two early wickets and the match resets; that is the fragile balance Abbas is banking on.
“They’re four down, and we have a new ball. We’ll try and get rid of them as soon as we can.” The plan remains simple. Delivering it, as ever, is the tricky part.
