Second Test - BD Vs Pak, Day 2 : Pakistan bat steadily after dismissing B'Desh for 338
Tags: Pakistan tour of Bangladesh 2011 - 12,
Bangladesh vs Pakistan 2nd Test at Mirpur - Dec 17-21, 2011,
Bangladesh,
Pakistan,
Shakib Al Hasan
Published on: Dec 18, 2011
Scorecard
| Commentary
| Graphs
There was and abrupt end to the proceedings on Day 2 as well because of bad light conditions. Pakistan finished the day's play at 87 for 1 in 27 overs and trailing behind by 251 runs.
Final Session
There was and abrupt end to the proceedings on Day 2 as well because of bad light conditions. Pakistan finished the day's play at 87 for 1 in 27 overs and trailing behind by 251 runs. Although the score looks steady, the two batsmen in the middle - TaufeeqUmar (44* from 79 balls with 8 fours) and Azhar Ali (26* from 69 balls with 2 fours) had their share of problems against the spin duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah.
While Shakib Al Hasan dominated the right handed Azhar Ali by getting the ball to turn away with bounce, Mahmudullah mixed his turning off breaks with the drifters to keep TaufeeqUmar under check. There was also an impressive show from medium pacer NazmulHossain who swung the ball nicely but lacked the pace to get the better of the batsmen. The entire second day's play saw only 66.2 overs bowled! The Test match has already lost more than 45 overs of play due to bad light!
Afternoon Session
Bangladesh were disappointingly bowled out for 338 in 107.2 overs once they lost the key wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Skipper MushfiqurRahim in the space of two balls. By the close of the afternoon session, Pakistan lost the wicket of Hafeez to reach 36 for 1 in 8 overs.
The downslide for Bangladesh started in the 95th over when Shakib Al Hasan was run out by a direct throw from mid wicket after a mix-up with Mushfiqur. Shakib scored 144 from 242 balls with 15 fours which is his highest score. In the very next ball, MushfiqurRahim (40 from 102 balls with 6 fours and a six) was caught down the legside in a backfoot leg glance off UmarGul.
SaeedAjmal picked up a couple of wickets with his doosras and that made Bangladesh slip towards 338 all out. By Tea, Bangladesh managed to pick up a wicket in the form of Mohammad Hafeez (14) who was forced to nick a lovely outswinger from NazmulHossain.
Morning Session
The overnight pair of centurion Shakib Al Hasan and Skipper MushfiqurRahim batted sensibly to see through what was a one and a half hour morning session on Day 2. The Tigers marched to 285 for 5 in 89 overs with Shakib Al Hasan moving onto 136 (from 229 balls with 15 fours) while MushfiqurRahim collected 28* from 80 balls with 4 fours and a six. The duo have so far added 62 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket.
There were a couple of close calls for Shakib this morning when he escaped from being lbw to both UmarGul and AizazCheema. Pakistan did take the second new ball as and when it was available but so far the Bangladeshi pair managed to survive.
Update at 8:30 AM local
The second day's play which was scheduled for an early start at 9:00 AM local has been delayed as expected because of the foggy conditions in Dhaka. Unlike yesterday, there are no covers on the pitch or the square but there is enough fog to keep the players inside the dressing room. Bangladesh would be resuming play at 234 for 5 in 68 overs with Shakib Al Hasan on 108* and Skipper MushfiqurRahim on 5*.
Bangladesh would be hoping to get atleast 400 on the board to feel secure about the game. In yesterday's first day's play, 22 overs were lost due to fog and bad light conditions. If this trend continues, then there is a danger of losing one full day's play because of bad light conditions. The pitch also looks pretty flat except for the first session on Day 1 in which the new ball did dart around off the track.
- BV Swagath
