Babar Azam Faces Early Setback as Pakistan Dominates Bangladesh in Opening Test

The opening day of the Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium saw star batter Babar Azam struggle, scoring a duck as the team faced early challenges. Despite his disappointing performance, the crowd rallied behind him, chanting, "Hamaara kaptaan kaisa ho, Babar Azam jaisa ho," reflecting the high expectations fans have for the Lahore-born cricketer. Pakistan found themselves in a precarious position at 16-3, but the team managed to recover. Day two showcased a remarkable turnaround for Pakistan, led by impressive centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel. After Saim Ayub's dismissal for 56, Rizwan and Shakeel formed a formidable partnership, accumulating 240 runs together. Shakeel eventually fell for 141, while Agha Salman contributed 19 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi's late innings boost of 29 runs helped Pakistan declare at a strong total of 448/6, with Rizwan remaining unbeaten on 171. As the match progressed, Bangladesh struggled to find their footing. By the end of day two, the tourists had not lost a wicket, but early on day three, they faced setbacks with the dismissals of Zakir Hasan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Khurram Shahzad made a crucial breakthrough, ending a 96-run partnership between Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque by taking Mominul for 50. In a surprising twist, Saim Ayub claimed the wicket of seasoned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, further tilting the match in Pakistan's favor.