RAWALPINDI: Persistent rain washed out the opening day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Bangladesh leads the two-match series 1-0 after it notched a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week when Pakistan was bowled out for an embarrassing 146 in the second innings on the fifth and final day.
Players and team officials stayed in the hotel and umpires called off the play at 12:05 p.m. local time with rain still pouring down and leaving the outfield submerged.
Both teams are in the bottom half of the World Test Championship standings with Bangladesh at No. 7 and Pakistan at No. 8, just above last-place West Indies.
An embattled Pakistan, which has lost four Test matches in a row since Shan Masood was elevated as captain last year, hasn’t won a home Test since it beat South Africa in December 2021. The remaining four Test matches against New Zealand and Australia were drawn.
Pakistan dropped rusty fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and named another left-armer Mir Hamza along with leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in its 12-man squad.
Afridi, who was playing his first Test in eight months, was ineffective and had to wait until Pakistan took the third new ball to claim 2-88 as Bangladesh replied to Pakistan’s 448-6 declared with a strong total of 565.
Abrar was surprisingly released from the first Test squad and was asked to play in a four-day game against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Islamabad and Pakistan’s ploy to go with an all-out pace attack in a home Test match after 28 years backfired.
In contrast left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took seven wickets in between them on a dramatic fifth day to skittle out Pakistan for its lowest-ever total against Bangladesh in 14 Test matches.
Bangladesh batters, led by Mushfiqur Rahim’s resilient 191, were also among the runs with Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Litton Das and Mehidy all scoring meaningful half centuries.
Persistent rain in Rawalpindi washes out Day 1 of 2nd Pakistan, Bangladesh Test
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Persistent rain in Rawalpindi washes out Day 1 of 2nd Pakistan, Bangladesh Test
- Players and team officials stayed in hotel, umpires called off the play at 12:05 p.m. local time with rain still pouring down
- Bangladesh leads the two-match series 1-0 after it notched a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week
Dubai Basketball endure home loss in EuroLeague against Virtus Bologna
- The club enters the second half of the season with a 10–12 record
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball were beaten 80-72 by Virtus Bologna at Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday in round 22 of the EuroLeague, in a game where key individual performances made the difference.
The hosts remained competitive throughout, despite Virtus holding a slim advantage for most of the night. Dubai found rhythm in phases, particularly during the middle quarters, and stayed within striking distance until the closing minutes.
However, Virtus managed the decisive moments more efficiently and protected their lead late on.
Aleksa Avramovic led Dubai with 17 points, providing energy and shot-making that kept the home side in the game. His scoring run in the second half briefly shifted momentum and forced Virtus to adjust defensively.
Dwayne Bacon also made a strong contribution, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Dubai continued to battle physically on both ends of the floor.
Virtus were anchored by an outstanding performance from Saliou Niang, who recorded 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Dubai Basketball’s upcoming games will be decisive as the club enters the second half of the season with a 10–12 record. In February they face EuroLeague heavyweights Olympiacos and Real Madrid at home.
