ISLAMABAD: Persistent rain and a wet outfield led to the first day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh being called off at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Heavy morning rain delayed the start of play, preventing the toss from taking place. Both teams remained at their hotel as rain continued intermittently, with the Met Office predicting more monsoon showers.
Despite the pitch being covered, much of the stadium became waterlogged due to the downpour. The match is now scheduled to begin tomorrow morning, provided the field conditions improve.
This delay is a setback for Pakistan, who are eager to level the two-match series after Bangladesh secured a 10-wicket victory in the first Test, also held in Rawalpindi. The win was Bangladesh’s first in 14 Tests against Pakistan.
After their unexpected triumph, Bangladesh is aiming for their first-ever Test series victory over Pakistan.
Pakistan has excluded pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from their 12-member squad, allowing him to spend time with his newborn son. Afridi struggled with his form during the first Test, and head coach Jason Gillespie confirmed that the decision to rest him was made in consultation with the player.
“Shaheen will miss this game. We had a good discussion with him, and he understands and appreciates the reasoning behind it. We are considering our best combination for this match,” Gillespie said.
Pakistan has been struggling recently, including an early exit from this year’s T20 World Cup and a 3-0 whitewash in their last Test series in Australia.
Pakistan squad:
- Shan Masood (captain)
- Saud Shakeel (vice-captain)
- Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)
- Abrar Ahmed
- Mohammad Ali
- Salman Ali Agha
- Saim Ayub
- Babar Azam
- Mir Hamza
- Abdullah Shafique
- Naseem Shah
- Khurram Shehzad
In the series opener, Pakistan fielded four fast bowlers—Shaheen, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, and Naseem Shah—as captain Shan Masood opted for a pace-heavy attack, but the strategy backfired.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
