Cricket: Hafeez, Younus lead the charge

Pakistan put Bangladesh bowlers to the sword, gain 280-run lead on day two.


Afp December 10, 2011

CHITTAGONG: Mohammad Hafeez cracked a career-best 143 and Younus Khan stroked an impressive unbeaten 96 to put Pakistan in a commanding position on the second day of the opening Test against Bangladesh.

Hafeez hit 14 fours in his fourth Test hundred as Pakistan went to stumps on 415 for four in reply to Bangladesh’s 135, to gain a 280-run lead. Younus, playing his 72nd Test, reached 6,000 runs when he lofted spinner Shakibal Hasan for a six in the last session. He hit 10 boundaries in his 155-ball knock.

Asad Shafiq, who put on 104 for the fifth wicket with Younus, was unbeaten on 40, with two sixes to his name as the tourists plundered 283 runs during the day.

‘Not disappointed by the dismissal’

Hafeez, whose previous best was 119 in Bulawayo against Zimbabwe earlier this year, was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before off left-arm spinner Elias Sunny, as TV replays suggested he inside-edged the delivery onto his pad.

The all-rounder insisted he was not disappointed at the unlucky way he was dismissed.

“It is part of the game,” he said. “Sometimes you get a really bad decision, so no complaints about that. As a cricketer you have to go through with this. At the moment, we’re in a very good position from where we can dominate the Test.”

Dropped catches hurt hosts

It was a frustrating day for Bangladesh, who not only struggled to take wickets on an easy-paced pitch, but also dropped two crucial catches. Younus was dropped on 15 by Sunny, while captain Misbahul Haq was let off on five by Shahriar Hossain.

Earlier, Hafeez put Pakistan in control when he added 164 for the opening wicket with Taufeeq Umar (61) and 56 for the second wicket with Azhar Ali (26). He reached his century in the morning when he drove Mohammad Mahmudullah to the fence for four. Bangladesh broke the opening-wicket stand when Mahmudullah dismissed Umar.

Bangladesh still hoping

Meanwhile, Mahmudullah hoped his team would fare better with the bat in their second-innings.

“We have nothing to do but to hope for the best,” he said. “As we could not bat well in the first-innings, we have to hope for the best in the second. Everything depends on that. We have got to go out there with a positive mindset. We have to bat session by session and if we can put up a big total, we can still save the Test.”

Mohammad Hafeez

“Sometimes you get a really bad decision, so no complaints about that. As a cricketer you have to go through with this. At the moment, we’re in a very good position from where we can dominate the Test.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2011.

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