KHULNA: Mominul Haque struck a patient 80 before falling to the final delivery of the day as Bangladesh capitalised on poor Pakistan fielding to reach 236 for four on the opening day of the first Test in Khulna on Tuesday.

Electing to bat first at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, the hosts could not score freely but Mominul, Imrul Kayes (51) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (49) made sure they made slow but steady progress.

Shakib Al Hasan was unbeaten on 19 at the close.

Beaten in all four limited-over matches ahead of the two-Test series, Pakistan spilled five chances in the first two sessions.

Tamim Iqbal (25) and Imrul put on 52 in 27 overs for the opening wicket — Bangladesh’s highest opening stand against Pakistan — before they were separated by leg-spinner Yasir Shah.

Azhar Ali took a bat-pad catch at short leg to remove Tamim who could have been dismissed earlier if Mohammad Hafeez had held a low catch in the slips.

Imrul had received two reprieves by the time Bangladesh went to lunch at 60 for one.

Pakistan’s mediocre catching continued in the second session when left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar dropped a return chance offered by Mominul while a Mahmudullah edge flew between the slip fielders.

Hafeez, cleared to bowl again last week after being suspended for an illegal action, caught Imrul off his own bowling, one ball after the batsman had brought up his second Test fifty.

Mominul found an ally in Mahmudullah who dominated their 95-run stand for the third wicket without managing to claim his 12th Test fifty.

Mahmudullah went when he edged Wahab Riaz and wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed took a brilliant one-handed catch diving to his right.

Mominul then added 49 runs with all-rounder Shakib but was beaten by a turning delivery from Zulfiqar that trapped him lbw. The talented 23-year-old left-hander batted fluently to pass 50 for the 12th time in his first 13 Tests.

Bangladesh reviewed the decision but could not get it overturned and Mominul fell after a 162-ball innings that included eight boundaries.

Mominul has scored a half-century or more in his last 10 Tests. Only four batsmen — Viv Richards of the West Indies, South Africa’s A.B. de Villiers and the Indian duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag — have scored more 50s in consecutive Test matches.

But Mominul equalled record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and England’s John Edrich in scoring a half-century in 10 successive Tests, while de Villiers holds the record of 12 straight Tests in which he at least scored 50.

“I think we are in a good position, but if I had not been out we would have been on top,” Mominul said after the day’s play. “Surviving here is easy, but scoring runs is difficult.”

Yasir, who had missed the preceding limited-overs series due to injury, ended the day with figures of one for 58 in 18 overs.

Azhar, who led Pakistan in the one-dayers before making way for Misbah-ul Haq in the Tests, said the day’s honours were shared after the dismissal of Mominul in the last over.

“Obviously after picking Mominul’s wicket we are happy,” he said. “It has raised the team’s spirits and hopefully we can dismiss them early tomorrow.”

Bangladesh handed Test debuts to Soumya Sarkar and fast bowler Mohammad Shahid, while Pakistan picked uncapped batsman Sami Aslam for the opening match of the two-Test series.

Pakistan also ignored senior off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, preferring to go in with two specialist slow bowlers in Zulfiqar and Yasir.

The hosts swept the ODI series 3-0 and also defeated Pakistan for the first time in a Twenty20 International.

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH (1st Innings):

Tamim Iqbal c Azhar b Yasir 25

Imrul Kayes c and b Hafeez 51

Mominul Haque lbw b Zulfiqar 80

Mahmudullah c Sarfraz b Wahab 49

Shakib Al Hasan not out 19

EXTRAS (LB-5, NB-7) 12

TOTAL (for four wkts, 89.5 overs) 236

FALL OF WKTS: 1-52, 2-92, 3-187, 4-236.

TO BAT: Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Shuvagata Hom, Taijul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mohammad Shahid.

BOWLING (to-date): Junaid Khan 16-2-40-0 (2nb); Wahab Riaz 19-5-40-1 (5nb); Mohammad Hafeez 15-5-38-1; Zulfiqar Babar 21.5-3-55-1; Yasir Shah 18-1-58-1.

PAKISTAN: Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Junaid Khan.

UMPIRES: N.J. Llong (England) and R.E.J. Martinesz (Sri Lanka).

TV UMPIRE: P.R. Reiffel (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2015

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