Mohammad Rizwan knew that Pakistan would be declaring innings when they reached or got near 450, revealed Pakistan’s vice-captain Saud Shakeel when asked why Rizwan wasn’t given a chance to complete his double century.
This happened in the ongoing first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Pakistan posted an amazing 448/6d despite being 16/3 when put into bat by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who won the toss.
Saim Ayub (56) and Saud Shakeel, first added 98 runs together for the 4th wicket to stabilize the innings. But the counter-attack came from Shakeel and Rizwan, who put on a monumental 240 runs for the fifth wicket to give Pakistan the advantage.
Rizwan delivered a superb effort, remaining unbeaten on 171 off 239 balls, with a combination of patience and attack. Shakeel continued his outstanding form in red-ball cricket, scoring 141 from 261 deliveries.
As far as Mohammad Rizwan bhai’s double century is concerned: Saud Shakeel
By the time Pakistan declared late in the day, they had already established a dominating lead, leaving Bangladesh with an uphill struggle to avoid a big first-inning loss. However, one of the main debates surrounding the declaration was whether Pakistan’s captain, Shan Masood, decided in haste.
Shakeel, Pakistan’s vice-captain who attended the post-game news conference, was also questioned about the decision, but he provided a straightforward answer.
“See, as far as Rizwan bhai’s double century is concerned, I don’t think there was a haste in taking the decision (to declare the innings). Because Rizwan bhai was clearly told an hour before that we would be declaring at this point of time. So he had an idea when we will declare. He was told we will try to near 450 before declaring,” Shakeel said.
Question: why Captain declared the innings before Rizwan 200?
Saud: Rizwan knows the time of declaration pic.twitter.com/N4ni6DE8xa
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) August 22, 2024
The partnership of Rizwan and Shakeel not only stabilized the innings but also demoralized the Bangladesh bowlers as the day progressed.
Bangladesh’s openers, Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan, were tested by Pakistan’s pace attack, particularly Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, but they made it through the last hour of play on the second day.
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