PAK vs BAN: Pakistan will be taking on Bangladesh for the second test at Rawalpindi after their initial humiliating loss in the first game. The first game saw many blunders at the end of the Pakistan team management as they failed to meet the demands of the pitch.
Pakistan played with a new strategy of introducing an all-pace attack under the reign of head coach Jason Gillespie; however, the one that comprised Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Ali ended as a complete disaster as the Bangladeshis took on them, scoring 565 in their first inning.
On the contrary, the Bangladeshi spinners played a major role in their success in the second innings as they ended the Pakistan innings before even a 150, thus winning the first-ever test. As a result, Pakistan has also brought back their red ball specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed for such a role while they have let go of their most experienced and ace bowler Shaheen.
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Let’s take a good look at the important player battles
Babar Azam vs. Shoriful Islam
The Pakistani legend has seen a major drop in his career ranking in the longest format as he slipped 6 positions to drop to the 9th spot from his 3rd previously held spot. Babar could not make use of the pitch, as he scored 0 and 22.
Babar has often been seen suffering against left-arm seamers as their natural angle of shaping the ball away and often into him causes trouble to the batter, as Babar has a liking for being bowled out or LBW. Shoriful is the perfect blend of all qualities that will pose a major threat to the Pakistani legend.
Mohammad Rizwan vs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Rizwan has emerged as Pakistan’s only consistent performer with the bat for quite some time now, since when Babar has underperformed. Rizwan also emerged as Pakistan’s best batter in the 1st Test, as he contributed with a stunning 171* in the first and was the team’s only reliable batter to score a fifty in the next inning as well.
However, the middle-order batter has often been seen struggling against spin, and Mehidy Miraz has been Bangladesh’s go-to spinner in wicket-taking situations even before the legendary Shakib Al-Hasan. If the track is the same as the first Rawalpindi test, Miraz will be an area of concern for the batter.
Mushfiqur Rahim vs. Abrar Ahmed
Rahim is undoubtedly a Bangladesh legend, as he is their highest-ever run-getter in the format, and coming down the order, he often is the rescue man for Bangladesh or the perfect cherry on the cake of a good solid innings. His historic 191 will always remain an iconic innings for even the Pakistanis to remember.
Now, with Abrar Ahmed brought back into the side, his leg-spin might be the only answer to the Bangladeshi wall. Often Mushfiqur has been seen struggling with leg-spin as he is very good to handle pace.