Daily Times

Though not an upset win, Pakistan’s victory in the first Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 44 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was meaningful in many ways. The find of the match was teenage pacer Naseem Shah, who became the youngest player to pocket a Test hat trick. Naseem Shah cast his magic when Bangladesh seemed to have come back in the match at 124-2, minutes before the close on the third day. Then came Naseem Shah, whose clean and superb hat trick demolished the Bangladesh batting order. Three wickets off successive deliveries, that too of the top order, is lethal. Naseem Shah is stated to be aged 16 years and 359 days. That makes him the youngest player to grab a Test hat trick, beating the record of Bangladeshi Alok Kapali who achieved the feat aged 19 in 2003. Naseem Shah first trapped Najumul Hossain Shanto leg before off the fourth ball of his seventh over for 38, then followed up with dismissals of Taijul Islam (lbw) and Mahmudullah (caught). Naseem had figures of 4-26 before he left the field with a shoulder injury. His departure gave Yasir Shah a sort of walkover, who claimed two of the last four wickets.

The Test ended early on day four, giving Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. The second match to be played in Karachi from April 5-9 will be a do or die affair for the visiting team. Bangladesh needs to put its batting order in order and boost its confidence. Resuming at 126-6 after conceding a first-innings lead of 212, Bangladesh could not make Pakistan bat again and were all out for 168. Bangladesh team needed time to fully adjust with the local environment. They are paying a split tour of Pakistan, unheard of thing in cricket history. We are thankful to team Bangladesh for agreeing to the split tour. For this reason, a good crowd was seen in the Test. The crowd was supportive to both sides. That makes cricket the game of gentlemen. *