Pakistan star batter Babar Azam’s disastrous form continued as the talismanic batter was dismissed for a duck during his side’s opening Test against touring Bangladesh at Rawalpindi on Wednesday.
It was the eighth time Azam walked back to the hut without getting off the mark in the longest format of the game and more worryingly, it was also the first time he was sent back for a duck on home soil in red ball cricket.
Azam was dismissed after being caught behind by Liton Das off Bangla seamer Shoriful Islam on the second ball of his short innings.
The top-order batter, who enjoyed an incredible spell in Tests between 2019 and the end of the year 2022, but has had to endure a massive dip in form since. The batter, who had averaged over the fifty mark in Tests before the year 2023, has seen his average face a harsh fall and just one Test ton since.
The opening Test of the two-match series in Pakistan was off to a delayed start due to a wet outfield, which was a result of a shower at the venue overnight and as many as four pitch inspections were required before the umpires gave the green light.
Play got underway after lunch and the number of overs for the day were slashed to 48.
The Bangladesh bowling unit wrecked havoc upfront as they dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique for just 2 runs early in the game as Hasan Mahmud struck.
Islam scalped Shan Masood for just 6 runs to pile further misery on the hosts, before Azam fell for a duck.
Pakistan were reeling at 16 for the loss of three wickets before a partnership between Saim AYub and Saud Shakeel dragged the home side into triple figures.
Ayub was dismissed by Mahmud after making a calculated half-century, while Shakeel also got over the fifty run milestone before stumps on the day as he finished the day unbeaten at 57, alongside Mohammad Rizwan, who cipped in with 24 runs.
Pakistan closed out the day at 158/4 and will look to take command of the opening Test on home soil when they return to action on Thursday, despite the discouraging weather forecasts.
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