135 AO Plays 132/0 On Day 1 Of The Series!

That was truly a tremendous day all around for the visitors. The bowlers were top notch and really showed their superiority and dominance to run through the Bangladeshis in Chittagong who seemed to lack any plan or purpose at the wicket when approaching proceedings. Ajmal continues to add to his tally and Rehman is closing in on reaching 50 test victims with his left arm spinners. Yet against Misbah elected to put us in the dirt first up and yet it worked with a justified performance from the bowlers who responded and put their hand up. 6 times when Misbah won the toss he has bowled first on 5 occasions. The 4 previous results have been comprehensive victories 3 times and a commendable draw the other time.  Team Pakistan have been on the field on day 1 of a test match 12 times in their last 13 tests with only 2 losses. Taufeeq and Hafeez have statistically reached a historical milestone by appearing in 11 consecutive tests over taking the likes of Anwar and Sohail and Mudassar and Ramiz and they have been fairly consistent by Pakistani tendencies in their opening stands. This is their 3^rd century stand from memory in the last 11 tests. It’s vital both get some runs under their belt ahead of the England series because although they performed respectably and made their mark on the Sri Lankan series, majority of the contributions came from the resilient and gutsy middle order (Azhar, YK, Misbah) and they (openers) didn’t really take the world by storm, especially after the first test. Hopefully, looking ahead, we can add a further 250 odd tomorrow and only lose a maximum of 4 or maybe 5 wickets and get through a wicket less session during the process. Should be looking to bat until lunch on the 4^th day and win by an innings and plenty. A sizeable lead of 300 would be more than sufficient, but it’s important the batsmen get runs under their belt. 3 50s and 1 ton from the top 6 needed and also a 50+ score from one of the number 7-10 batsmen. Disappointing performance from the Bengalis once more, their test status is being questioned and rightly so because there is no fun in seeming teams humiliated by some hefty margins; it’s not a healthy advertisement for the sport at all. They are definitely starring down the barrel of a mammoth loss and have been totally beaten and beaten badly. They look completely demoralized and short of confidence. It's just a no contest.