RAWALPINDI: Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq hit a century in each innings for Pakistan as Australia could bag only four wickets on a docile pitch in the drawn first test on Tuesday.
Imam followed his 157 in the first innings total of 476-4 declared with an unbeaten 111 in his first test since November 2019.
Imam’s opening partner, Abdullah Shafique, also prospered to record his maiden test hundred and was unbeaten on 136 when Pakistan finished the fifth and final day on 252-0 in its second innings, leading by 269 runs.
Both teams mutually agreed to end the game with an hour remaining.
Shafique hit 15 fours and a six in his 242-ball knock while Imam was more watchful in raising his hundred and faced 223 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.
The second opening stand between Imam and Abdullah surpassed Pakistan’s previous best against Australia in 1964 when Khalid Ibadulla and Abdul Kadir combined for 249 in Karachi.
Shafique and Imam also became the first Pakistan opening pair to share a century stand in each innings against Australia after combining for 105 runs in the first innings.
It was a tough start for Australia to resume playing test cricket in Pakistan after 24 years on a benign Pindi Cricket Stadium pitch which didn’t offer any lateral movement to the visitors’ three frontline pacers or turn to ace spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon bowled 78 overs and conceded 236 runs for the solitary wicket of Shafique in the first innings.
Australia’s innings was wrapped up in the first four overs of the day when it was all out for 459 after resuming on 449-7. Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali took a career-best 6-107 on the grassless pitch to give Pakistan a 17-run, first-innings lead.
The 35-year-old Nauman, playing in his eighth test, picked up two of the last three wickets. The tailenders added only 10 runs off 19 balls as Nauman bettered his previous best figures of 5-35, which he took on debut against South Africa last year.
Shafique and Imam accelerated in the middle session as Australia resorted to Lyon and three part-time spinners without any success.
Abdullah raised his century in four hours off 183 balls in the last session when he tucked Cameron Green to fine leg for a single.
Imam took half an hour more to complete back-to-back hundreds by lofting part-time spinner Travis Head over mid-off for two.
The second test begins in Karachi on Saturday. Lahore stages the final test from March 21-25. The test series will be followed by three one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty20 in Rawalpindi.
Imam hits successive centuries in drawn 1st test
https://arab.news/b6znv
Imam hits successive centuries in drawn 1st test
- It was a tough start for Australia to resume playing test cricket in Pakistan after 24 years on a benign Pindi Cricket Stadium
- Shafique and Imam also became the first Pakistan opening pair to share a century stand in each innings against Australia
Pakistan rice exports slump 40% as India’s return hits pricing power
- Statistics show non-Basmati shipments have fallen over 50 percent in July-January period
- Government offers 9 percent tax drawback on premium Basmati exports to support sector
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s rice exports fell 40.5 percent to $1.31 billion in the first seven months of the fiscal year, official data showed on Tuesday, as India’s return to the global market squeezed Islamabad’s market share and pricing power.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), non-Basmati exports dropped 50.8 percent to $827.8 million, with volumes falling to 2.0 million tons from 3.15 million tons a year ago. Basmati exports declined 6.62 percent to $477.7 million, with volumes easing to 436,484 tons from 487,278 tons.
The Ministry of National Food Security told a parliamentary committee in two separate meetings in December and January that India’s re-entry into the global rice market was a key factor behind the decline, saying increased Indian supplies had made Pakistani rice less competitive.
Officials told lawmakers that India benefits from free trade agreements and provides substantial support to its rice sector, putting additional pressure on Pakistani exporters.
In response, the Ministry of Commerce last month issued a notification under the “Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies for Rice Order, 2026,” allowing a rebate of 9 percent of the free-on-board (FOB) value for Basmati exports priced above $750 per metric ton.
The government said the measure, announced on January 23, aims to ease liquidity pressures on exporters and improve competitiveness.
While PBS data for July-January shows a 40.5 percent decline, figures from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for July-December show an even steeper 47 percent drop to $973 million from $1.82 billion in the same period last year, reflecting a deficit of over $800 million.
Industry representatives say they are now focusing on market diversification to counter the slowdown.
“Currently Basmati is mainly exported to Middle East and EU. Non-Basmati is exported to Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and African countries,” Malik Faisal Jahangir, chairman of the Pakistan Rice Exporters Association, told Arab News last week.
“For the new markets for our non-basmati rice exports, we are looking to increase our volumes to China, Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh,” he added.
