The camaraderie between Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam was on full display on Day 2 of the first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh on Thursday. The duo shared a light moment after Pakistan declared their first innings after scoring 448/6. Rizwan was the top performer for his side as he slammed an unbeaten 171 off 239 balls. While Rizwan made his way back to the dressing room, the Pakistan cricketers were waiting around the boundary line to applaud his knock. He playfully threw his bat towards Babar who caught it and both of them shared a laugh. In a viral video of social media, Rizwan and Babar were also seen sharing a laugh on the field while fielding against Bangladesh.
Coming to the match, Rizwan and Saud Shakeel knocked brilliant centuries to guide Pakistan to an imposing 448-6 declared before Bangladesh closed the second day on 27-0 in Rawalpindi.
Rizwan's unbeaten 171 was his Test best and third century in the format while Shakeel's 141 was equally polished as the duo lifted Pakistan from a precarious 16-3 on Wednesday.
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Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam was 12 and Zakir Hasan on 11, negotiating 12 overs of pace without any problem as the Rawalpindi stadium pitch has not assisted bowlers as predicted.
Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp hoped his batters match their opponents.
"It's a pretty good batting pitch and we hope it continues like this," said Hemp, a former Bermuda player.
"Our batters need to match Pakistan's batters and we need to get closer to Pakistan's total."
Bangladesh had pushed Pakistan on the backfoot on day one but it was Shakeel who repaired the innings with Saim Ayub (56) through a 98-run fourth wicket stand before another 240 runs were added for the next with Rizwan as Pakistan blunted Bangladesh’s attack.
Rizwan, who hit three sixes and 11 boundaries in a 239-ball knock, added a quick 44 with Shaheen Shah Afridi who smacked two sixes and a boundary in a blistering 29 not out.
That allowed Pakistan to declare their first innings 78-minutes after tea.
(With AFP inputs)