On the dead-rubber final day of the Rawalpindi Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, debutant Abid Ali created a new record in men’s international cricket history. He is the first batsman to score a century in both Test and ODI debut.
It was the first Test in Pakistan since the 2009 Lahore terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan national cricket team bus. Sri Lanka started the fifth day of that rain-marred historic Rawalpindi Test on 282/6 and declared their first innings on 308/6, just after Dhananjaya de Silva (102*) completed his Test century.
At the beginning of Pakistan’s first innings, the Test debutant Abid Ali opened along with Shan Masood. Though Masood lost his wicket without opening his account, the 32-year-old Abid Ali impressed on that entire day. Playing his first Test innings, the right-handed batsman completed his century in 183 balls. He first put 87 runs partnership with the Test captain Azhar Ali for the second wicket, and then, he had an unbroken 162 runs partnership for the third with another centurion Babar Azam (102*). Finally, Abid Ali remained not out on 109 runs off 201 balls (11 fours) while Pakistan finished that game after managing to score the first innings total of 252/2.
Abid Ali has already played four ODIs before the Rawalpindi Test. When Australia had a tour of UAE for five-match ODI series against Pakistan in last March, Abid Ali made his ODI debut during the fourth ODI of that series. Chasing down the 278 runs target, Ali scored 112 runs off 119 balls (9 fours). However, Pakistan lost that match by just six runs.
After scoring the century in Rawalpindi Test, Abid Ali became the first-ever batsman to score a century both in Test and ODI debut.
Enid Bakewell achieved this feat before Abid Ali
While no male cricketer achieved this before, former England women’s player Enid Bakewell was the first international cricketer (including men and women) to score a century both in Test and ODI debut.
Right-handed batter Enid Bakewell made her Test debut in late December 1968 against Australia Women at Adelaide, and later, made her ODI debut during England women’s first-ever ODI match (against International XI Women at Hove on 23rd June 1973). In both those debut matches, Enid Bakewell scored centuries (113 in Test and 101 not out in ODI).