RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel helped Pakistan build a reasonable total after early setbacks on Day 1 of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The match, which marked the beginning of the Test series, saw Pakistan open with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique.
However, Pakistan's top order struggled, with three players dismissed for just 16 runs.
Opener Abdullah Shafique failed to make a significant impact, scoring only 2 runs from 14 balls before being caught out in slips.
Following Shafique, Pakistan's captain Shan Masood also fell short, managing just 6 runs from 11 balls before being caught by Litton Das behind the stumps off a delivery from Shariful Islam.
Former captain Babar Azam was caught behind without scoring, while he tried to nudge the ball down the legside.
At this point, Saud Shakeel joined Saim on the crease and they stitched a healthy partnership to put scores on the board.
Saim Ayub made 56 off 98 balls before he was removed by Hasan Mahmud. As the day 1 closed, Pakistan were 158-4 at the stumps.
Saud Shakeel has scored unbeaten 57 while Mohammad Rizwan is at 24.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first. The match was delayed due to a wet outfield caused by rain.
The game, initially scheduled to start at 10 AM, was postponed due to 10 millimeters of rain recorded around the stadium early in the morning, which left the ground soggy.
Match officials inspected the ground, and due to the wet outfield, the toss was delayed while efforts were made to dry the ground.
The toss eventually took place, and Bangladesh opted to field first. Play on the first day commenced at 2:30 PM, with 48 overs scheduled for the day.