Pakistan closed the second day of the Mirpur Test on 179 for 1, still 224 behind Bangladesh’s 413 but feeling appreciably lighter after a long afternoon owned by debutant Azan Awais. The 21-year-old left-hander walked off unbeaten on 85, his poise prompting opening partner Imam-ul-Haq to reflect on the worth of the domestic game.
“You should prioritise red-ball domestic cricket. Azan has played 33 first-class matches and scored 10 hundreds. His record speaks for itself,” Imam said. “He was batting under pressure. There was lateral movement and the Bangladesh bowlers were playing with decent pace. He held his composure. He absorbed all the pressure, and it really helps having played so much domestic cricket.”
Morning session: Abbas completes the clean-up
Pakistan’s day began with the ball. Mohammad Abbas, nagging as ever on a surface tinged with grass, took the last two wickets to finish with 5 for 86. Bangladesh added only 112 to their overnight 301 for 4, and what looked like a towering total felt merely strong rather than decisive.
Afternoon: early turbulence for Awais
The reply might have unravelled quickly. Nahid Rana’s second delivery to Awais was a nasty, chest-high bouncer that thudded into the rookie’s helmet badge. A prolonged concussion check followed; a second one came a few minutes later when the opener still looked shaken. Imam, standing only a pitch length away, tried to keep things simple. “We knew what was coming,” he explained. “We had a meeting where we discussed that Nahid would bowl like this [fast]. Credit goes to Azan. After the first ball when he got hit, which was a quick ball, the way he responded was very good.”
Once the headache cleared, the pair settled. Rana went from menacing to unsettled when Awais punched him for three consecutive fours, forcing the quick out of the attack. Bangladesh never quite located that early hostility again.
Evening: partnership flourishes
“There is a lot of grass but the pitch is very good to bat on,” Imam observed. “It’s initially difficult, but when you get 20-30 runs it gets easier. We got lucky because we were getting boundaries every 2-3 overs, which was good for the debutant as well that he didn’t have that pressure where the run-flow was very dry.”
By stumps the stand for the first wicket was worth 167, Imam contributing 62 before edging Taijul Islam behind. Babar Azam, scarcely required to push, eased to 15 not out alongside Awais.
Scoring pace and restraint
Awais’s innings never felt hurried—just 157 balls faced—but it contained enough boundaries (13) that the required patience never drifted into stagnation. When Bangladesh overpitched, drives threaded the covers; when they dropped short, he swivel-pulled with authority. It was textbook subcontinental opening batting: trust the eyes early, cash in when the ball softens.
Imam noted Bangladesh’s inconsistency. “We got the boundary ball often enough, and in that sense we were lucky today.” Yet the visitors still had to make the most of those offerings, something they were unable to do on the opening day with the ball.
The road ahead
Pakistan’s first target is the follow-on mark. With nine wickets in hand that looks a formality, but Mirpur surfaces can tire quickly and Taijul already found some late drift. An early collapse on day three would hand the initiative straight back.
Imam, ever cautious, summed up the situation neatly: “We won all the sessions today, but there are three days remaining. This is the beauty of Test cricket.”
Key numbers
• Abbas: 5 for 86 – his eighth Test five-wicket haul
• Opening stand: 167 – Pakistan’s highest first-wicket partnership in Bangladesh
• Awais: 10 first-class centuries before debut; 85* on his first Test day with the bat
A satisfying day for the touring side, then, but not yet a decisive one. Bangladesh’s bowlers have shown enough venom to believe another morning burst could alter the mood again—just as a young opener’s composure has already altered it once.
